March 25

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MARCH 25

PSALMS: 25, 55, 85, 115, 145

PROVERBS: 25

OLD TESTAMENT: 1 KINGS 12:20 – 13:34

NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 9:26 – 43

PSALMS: 25

Of David.

1 To A you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2 in you I trust, O my God.

Do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one whose hope is in you

will ever be put to shame,

but they will be put to shame

who are treacherous without excuse.

4 Show me your ways, O LORD,

teach me your paths;

5 guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,

for they are from of old.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth

and my rebellious ways;

according to your love remember me,

for you are good, O LORD.

8 Good and upright is the LORD;

therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9 He guides the humble in what is right

and teaches them his way.

10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful

for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

11 For the sake of your name, O LORD,

forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? [1]

He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

13 He will spend his days in prosperity,

and his descendants will inherit the land.

14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;

he makes his covenant known to them.

15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,

for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied;

free me from my anguish.

18 Look upon my affliction and my distress

and take away all my sins.

19 See how my enemies have increased

and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me;

let me not be put to shame,

for I take refuge in you.

21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,

because my hope is in you.

22 Redeem Israel, O God,

from all their troubles! [2]

PSALMS: 55

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil A of David.

1 Listen to my prayer, O God,

do not ignore my plea;

2 hear me and answer me.

My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught

3 at the voice of the enemy,

at the stares of the wicked;

for they bring down suffering upon me

and revile me in their anger.

4 My heart is in anguish within me;

the terrors of death assail me.

5 Fear and trembling have beset me;

horror has overwhelmed me.

6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest–

7 I would flee far away

and stay in the desert;

Selah

8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,

far from the tempest and storm.”

9 Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech,

for I see violence and strife in the city.

10 Day and night they prowl about on its walls;

malice and abuse are within it.

11 Destructive forces are at work in the city;

threats and lies never leave its streets. [3]

12 If an enemy were insulting me,

I could endure it;

if a foe were raising himself against me,

I could hide from him.

13 But it is you, a man like myself,

my companion, my close friend,

14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship

as we walked with the throng at the house of God.

15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;

let them go down alive to the grave, B

for evil finds lodging among them.

16 But I call to God,

and the LORD saves me.

17 Evening, morning and noon

I cry out in distress,

and he hears my voice.

18 He ransoms me unharmed

from the battle waged against me,

even though many oppose me.

19 God, who is enthroned forever,

will hear them and afflict them–

Selah

men who never change their ways

and have no fear of God.

20 My companion attacks his friends;

he violates his covenant.

21 His speech is smooth as butter,

yet war is in his heart;

his words are more soothing than oil, [4]

yet they are drawn swords.

22 Cast your cares on the LORD

and he will sustain you;

he will never let the righteous fall.

23 But you, O God, will bring down the wicked

into the pit of corruption;

bloodthirsty and deceitful men

will not live out half their days.

But as for me, I trust in you. [5]

PSALMS: 85

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

1 You showed favor to your land, O LORD;

you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

2 You forgave the iniquity of your people

and covered all their sins.

Selah

3 You set aside all your wrath

and turned from your fierce anger.

4 Restore us again, O God our Savior,

and put away your displeasure toward us.

5 Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

6 Will you not revive us again,

that your people may rejoice in you?

7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD,

and grant us your salvation.

8 I will listen to what God the LORD will say;

he promises peace to his people, his saints–

but let them not return to folly.

9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,

that his glory may dwell in our land.

10 Love and faithfulness meet together;

righteousness and peace kiss each other.

11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,

and righteousness looks down from heaven.

12 The LORD will indeed give what is good,

and our land will yield its harvest.

13 Righteousness goes before him [6]

and prepares the way for his steps. [7]

PSALMS: 115

1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us

but to your name be the glory,

because of your love and faithfulness.

2 Why do the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

3 Our God is in heaven;

he does whatever pleases him.

4 But their idols are silver and gold,

made by the hands of men.

5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but they cannot see;

6 they have ears, but cannot hear,

noses, but they cannot smell;

7 they have hands, but cannot feel,

feet, but they cannot walk;

nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

8 Those who make them will be like them,

and so will all who trust in them.

9 O house of Israel, trust in the LORD–

he is their help and shield.

10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD–

he is their help and shield.

11 You who fear him, trust in the LORD–

he is their help and shield.

12 The LORD remembers us and will bless us:

He will bless the house of Israel,

he will bless the house of Aaron,

13 he will bless those who fear the LORD–

small and great alike. [8]

14 May the LORD make you increase,

both you and your children.

15 May you be blessed by the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD,

but the earth he has given to man.

17 It is not the dead who praise the LORD,

those who go down to silence;

18 it is we who extol the LORD,

both now and forevermore.

Praise the LORD. A [9]

PSALMS: 145

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1 I A will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation will commend your works to another;

they will tell of your mighty acts.

5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and I will meditate on your wonderful works. B

6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,

and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The LORD is good to all;

he has compassion on all he has made.

10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;

your saints will extol you.

11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might,

12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures through all generations. [10]

The LORD is faithful to all his promises

and loving toward all he has made.C

14 The LORD upholds all those who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.

16 You open your hand

and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways

and loving toward all he has made.

18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.

20 The LORD watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.

Let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever. [11]

PROVERBS: 25

25 1 These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;

to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,

so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

4 Remove the dross from the silver,

and out comes material for A the silversmith;

5 remove the wicked from the king’s presence,

and his throne will be established through righteousness.

6 Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence,

and do not claim a place among great men;

7 it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”

than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.

What you have seen with your eyes

8 do not bring B hastily to court,

for what will you do in the end

if your neighbor puts you to shame?

9 If you argue your case with a neighbor,

do not betray another man’s confidence,

10 or he who hears it may shame you

and you will never lose your bad reputation.

11 A word aptly spoken

is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold

is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear. [12]

13 Like the coolness of snow at harvest time

is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him;

he refreshes the spirit of his masters.

14 Like clouds and wind without rain

is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.

15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,

and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

16 If you find honey, eat just enough–

too much of it, and you will vomit.

17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house–

too much of you, and he will hate you.

18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow

is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor.

19 Like a bad tooth or a lame foot

is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.

20 Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,

or like vinegar poured on soda,

is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;

if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,

and the LORD will reward you.

23 As a north wind brings rain,

so a sly tongue brings angry looks. [13]

24 Better to live on a corner of the roof

than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

25 Like cold water to a weary soul

is good news from a distant land.

26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well

is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

27 It is not good to eat too much honey,

nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor.

28 Like a city whose walls are broken down

is a man who lacks self-control. [14]

OLD TESTAMENT: 1 KINGS 12:20 – 13:34

20 When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.

21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin–a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men–to make war against the house of Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.

22 But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to the whole house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 `This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.'” So they obeyed the word of the LORD and went home again, as the LORD had ordered.

25 Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel. C

26 Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.”

28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” 29 One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the [15] one there.

31 Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. 32 He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. 33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.

13 1 By the word of the LORD a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. 2 He cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD: “O altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: `A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.'” 3 That same day the man of God gave a sign: “This is the sign the LORD has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.”

4 When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. 5 Also, the altar was [16] split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the LORD.

6 Then the king said to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before.

7 The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift.”

8 But the man of God answered the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. 9 For I was commanded by the word of the LORD: `You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’ ” 10 So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.

11 Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to the king. 12 Their father asked them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him which road the man of God from Judah had taken. 13 So he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And when they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it 14 and rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”

“I am,” he replied. [17] 15 So the prophet said to him, “Come home with me and eat.”

16 The man of God said, “I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 I have been told by the word of the LORD: `You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’ ”

18 The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the LORD: `Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.'” (But he was lying to him.) 19 So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.

20 While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the old prophet who had brought him back. 21 He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: `You have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. 22 You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers.'”

23 When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him. 24 As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was thrown down on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it. 25 Some people who passed by saw the body thrown down there, with the lion standing beside the body, and they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived. [18] 26 When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who defied the word of the LORD. The LORD has given him over to the lion, which has mauled him and killed him, as the word of the LORD had warned him.”

27 The prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me,” and they did so. 28 Then he went out and found the body thrown down on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had neither eaten the body nor mauled the donkey. 29 So the prophet picked up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him. 30 Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they mourned over him and said, “Oh, my brother!”

31 After burying him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the message he declared by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the towns of Samaria will certainly come true.”

33 Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places. 34 This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth. [19]

NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 9:26 – 43

26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.

27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him.

30 When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years.

34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas B), who was always doing good and helping the poor.

37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and [20] showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon. [21]

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