October 10

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OCTOBER 10

PSALMS: 10, 40, 70, 100, 130

PROVERBS: 10

OLD TESTAMENT: MALACHI 1:1 – 2:17

NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATIONS 21:1 – 27

PSALMS: 10

¹Why, ^A O LORD, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

²In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,

who are caught in the schemes he devises.

³He boasts of the cravings of his heart;

he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

⁴In his pride the wicked does not seek him;

in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

⁵His ways are always prosperous;

he is haughty and your laws are far from him;

he sneers at all his enemies.

⁶He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me;

I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”

⁷His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats;

trouble and evil are under his tongue.

⁸He lies in wait near the villages;

from ambush he murders the innocent,

watching in secret for his victims.

⁹He lies in wait like a lion in cover;

he lies in wait to catch the helpless;

he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

¹⁰His victims are crushed, they collapse;

they fall under his strength.

¹¹He says to himself, “God has forgotten;

he covers his face and never sees.” ^{^[1]}

¹²Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.

Do not forget the helpless.

¹³Why does the wicked man revile God?

Why does he say to himself,

“He won’t call me to account”?

¹⁴But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;

you consider it to take it in hand.

The victim commits himself to you;

you are the helper of the fatherless.

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;

call him to account for his wickedness

that would not be found out.

¹⁶The LORD is King for ever and ever;

the nations will perish from his land.

¹⁷You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;

you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

¹⁸defending the fatherless and the oppressed,

in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more. ^{^[2]}

PSALMS: 40

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹I waited patiently for the LORD;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

²He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

³He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the LORD.

⁴Blessed is the man

who makes the LORD his trust,

who does not look to the proud,

to those who turn aside to false gods. ^A

⁵Many, O LORD my God,

are the wonders you have done.

The things you planned for us

no one can recount to you;

were I to speak and tell of them,

they would be too many to declare.

⁶Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,

but my ears you have pierced ^BC;

burnt offerings and sin offerings

you did not require.

⁷Then I said, “Here I am, I have come–

it is written about me in the scroll. ^D ^{^[3]}

⁸I desire to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.”

⁹I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;

I do not seal my lips,

as you know, O LORD.

¹⁰I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;

I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.

I do not conceal your love and your truth

from the great assembly.

¹¹Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;

may your love and your truth always protect me.

¹²For troubles without number surround me;

my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.

They are more than the hairs of my head,

and my heart fails within me.

¹³Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;

O LORD, come quickly to help me.

¹⁴May all who seek to take my life

be put to shame and confusion;

may all who desire my ruin

be turned back in disgrace.

¹⁵May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”

be appalled at their own shame.

¹⁶But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation always say,

“The LORD be exalted!”^{^[4]}

¹⁷Yet I am poor and needy;

may the Lord think of me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

O my God, do not delay. ^{^[5]}

PSALMS: 70

For the director of music. Of David. A petition.

¹Hasten, O God, to save me;

O LORD, come quickly to help me.

²May those who seek my life

be put to shame and confusion;

may all who desire my ruin

be turned back in disgrace.

³May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”

turn back because of their shame.

⁴But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation always say,

“Let God be exalted!”

⁵Yet I am poor and needy;

come quickly to me, O God.

You are my help and my deliverer;

O LORD, do not delay. ^{^[6]}

PSALMS: 100

A psalm. For giving thanks.

¹Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

²Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

³Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his ^A;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

⁵For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations. ^{^[7]}

PSALMS: 130

A song of ascents.

¹Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;

²O Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive

to my cry for mercy.

³If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,

O Lord, who could stand?

⁴But with you there is forgiveness;

therefore you are feared.

⁵I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

⁶My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

⁷O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,

for with the LORD is unfailing love

and with him is full redemption.

⁸He himself will redeem Israel

from all their sins. ^{^[8]}

PROVERBS: 10

10 ¹The proverbs of Solomon:

A wise son brings joy to his father,

but a foolish son grief to his mother.

²Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,

but righteousness delivers from death.

³The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry

but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

⁴Lazy hands make a man poor,

but diligent hands bring wealth.

⁵He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,

but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

⁶Blessings crown the head of the righteous,

but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. ^A

⁷The memory of the righteous will be a blessing,

but the name of the wicked will rot.

⁸The wise in heart accept commands,

but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

⁹The man of integrity walks securely,

but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.

¹⁰He who winks maliciously causes grief,

and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. ^{^[9]}

¹²Hatred stirs up dissension,

but love covers over all wrongs.

¹³Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,

but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.

¹⁴Wise men store up knowledge,

but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

¹⁵The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,

but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

¹⁶The wages of the righteous bring them life,

but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.

¹⁷He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,

but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

¹⁸He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,

and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

¹⁹When words are many, sin is not absent,

but he who holds his tongue is wise.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,

but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

²¹The lips of the righteous nourish many,

but fools die for lack of judgment.

²²The blessing of the LORD brings wealth,

and he adds no trouble to it. ^{^[10]}

²³A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct,

but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.

²⁴What the wicked dreads will overtake him;

what the righteous desire will be granted.

²⁵When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,

but the righteous stand firm forever.

²⁶As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is a sluggard to those who send him.

²⁷The fear of the LORD adds length to life,

but the years of the wicked are cut short.

²⁸The prospect of the righteous is joy,

but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

²⁹The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,

but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

³⁰The righteous will never be uprooted,

but the wicked will not remain in the land.

³¹The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

³²The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,

but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. ^{^[11]}

OLD TESTAMENT

MALACHI 1:1 – 2:17

1 ¹An oracle: The word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi. ^A

²“I have loved you,” says the LORD.

“But you ask, `How have you loved us?’

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” the LORD says. “Yet I have loved Jacob, ³but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”

⁴Edom may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.”

But this is what the LORD Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the LORD. ⁵You will see it with your own eyes and say, `Great is the LORD–even beyond the borders of Israel!’

⁶“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty. “It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask, `How have we shown contempt for your name?’

⁷“You place defiled food on my altar.

“But you ask, `How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible. ⁸When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty.

⁹“Now implore God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”–says the LORD Almighty.

¹⁰“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. ¹¹My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD Almighty.

¹²“But you profane it by saying of the Lord’s table, `It is defiled,’ and of its food, `It is contemptible.’ ¹³And you say, `What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the LORD Almighty.

“When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the LORD. ^{^[12]}

¹⁴“Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the LORD Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.

2 ¹“And now this admonition is for you, O priests. ²If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name,” says the LORD Almighty, “I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me.

³“Because of you I will rebuke ^A your descendants ^B; I will spread on your faces the offal from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. ⁴And you will know that I have sent you this admonition so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD Almighty. ⁵“My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. ⁶True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.

⁷“For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction–because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty. ⁸But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the LORD Almighty. ⁹“So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”

¹⁰Have we not all one Father ^C? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?

¹¹Judah has broken faith. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the LORD loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. ¹²As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the LORD cut him off from the tents of Jacob ^D–even though he brings offerings to the LORD Almighty.

¹³Another thing you do: You flood the LORD’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. ¹⁴You ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.

¹⁵Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring.^E So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. ^{^[13]}

¹⁶“I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel, “and I hate a man’s covering himself ^F with violence as well as with his garment,” says the LORD Almighty.

So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.

¹⁷You have wearied the LORD with your words.

“How have we wearied him?” you ask.

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?” ^{^[14]}

NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATIONS 21:1 – 27

21 ¹Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ²I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

⁵He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

⁶He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷ He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. ⁸But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

⁹One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹²It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. ¹³There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. ¹⁴The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

¹⁵The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. ¹⁶The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia^A in length, and as wide and high as it is long. ¹⁷He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits ^B thick, ^C by man’s measurement, which the angel was using. ¹⁸The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. ¹⁹The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ^D ²¹The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

²²I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ²⁵On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. ²⁶The glory and honor of the nations will be ^{^[15]} brought into it. ²⁷Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. ^{^[16]}