DEUTERONOMY 8

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Remember the Lord Your God  8:1 “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
    11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15 who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. 17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. 20 Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

PSALM 68

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God Shall Scatter His EnemiesTo the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68:1

God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;

and those who hate him shall flee before him! 2

As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;

as wax melts before fire,

so the wicked shall perish before God! 3

But the righteous shall be glad;

they shall exult before God;

they shall be jubilant with joy!
4

Sing to God, sing praises to his name;

lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;

his name is the Lord;

exult before him! 5

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows

is God in his holy habitation. 6

God settles the solitary in a home;

he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,

but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
7

O God, when you went out before your people,

when you marched through the wilderness, Selah 8

the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,

before God, the One of Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel. 9

Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;

you restored your inheritance as it languished; 10

your flock found a dwelling in it;

in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
11

The Lord gives the word;

the women who announce the news are a great host: 12

“The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”

The women at home divide the spoil— 13

though you men lie among the sheepfolds—

the wings of a dove covered with silver,

its pinions with shimmering gold. 14

When the Almighty scatters kings there,

let snow fall on Zalmon.
15

O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;

O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan! 16

Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,

at the mount that God desired for his abode,

yes, where the Lord will dwell forever? 17

The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,

thousands upon thousands;

the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary. 18

You ascended on high,

leading a host of captives in your train

and receiving gifts among men,

even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.
19

Blessed be the Lord,

who daily bears us up;

God is our salvation. Selah 20

Our God is a God of salvation,

and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death. 21

But God will strike the heads of his enemies,

the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways. 22

The Lord said,

“I will bring them back from Bashan,

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, 23

that you may strike your feet in their blood,

that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”
24

Your procession is seen, O God,

the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary— 25

the singers in front, the musicians last,

between them virgins playing tambourines: 26

“Bless God in the great congregation,

the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!” 27

There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,

the princes of Judah in their throng,

the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28

Summon your power, O God,

the power, O God, by which you have worked for us. 29

Because of your temple at Jerusalem

kings shall bear gifts to you. 30

Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,

the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.

Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;

scatter the peoples who delight in war. 31

Nobles shall come from Egypt;

Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.
32

O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;

sing praises to the Lord, Selah 33

to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;

behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. 34

Ascribe power to God,

whose majesty is over Israel,

and whose power is in the skies. 35

Awesome is God from his sanctuary;

the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!

PSALM 69

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Save Me, O GodTo the choirmaster: according to Lilies. Of David.
69:1

Save me, O God!

For the waters have come up to my neck. 2

I sink in deep mire,

where there is no foothold;

I have come into deep waters,

and the flood sweeps over me. 3

I am weary with my crying out;

my throat is parched.

My eyes grow dim

with waiting for my God.
4

More in number than the hairs of my head

are those who hate me without cause;

mighty are those who would destroy me,

those who attack me with lies.

What I did not steal

must I now restore? 5

O God, you know my folly;

the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
6

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me,

O Lord God of hosts;

let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,

O God of Israel. 7

For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach,

that dishonor has covered my face. 8

I have become a stranger to my brothers,

an alien to my mother’s sons.
9

For zeal for your house has consumed me,

and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. 10

When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting,

it became my reproach. 11

When I made sackcloth my clothing,

I became a byword to them. 12

I am the talk of those who sit in the gate,

and the drunkards make songs about me.
13

But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.

At an acceptable time, O God,

in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. 14

Deliver me

from sinking in the mire;

let me be delivered from my enemies

and from the deep waters. 15

Let not the flood sweep over me,

or the deep swallow me up,

or the pit close its mouth over me.
16

Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;

according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. 17

Hide not your face from your servant,

for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. 18

Draw near to my soul, redeem me;

ransom me because of my enemies!
19

You know my reproach,

and my shame and my dishonor;

my foes are all known to you. 20

Reproaches have broken my heart,

so that I am in despair.

I looked for pity, but there was none,

and for comforters, but I found none. 21

They gave me poison for food,

and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
22

Let their own table before them become a snare;

and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. 23

Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,

and make their loins tremble continually. 24

Pour out your indignation upon them,

and let your burning anger overtake them. 25

May their camp be a desolation;

let no one dwell in their tents. 26

For they persecute him whom you have struck down,

and they recount the pain of those you have wounded. 27

Add to them punishment upon punishment;

may they have no acquittal from you. 28

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;

let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
29

But I am afflicted and in pain;

let your salvation, O God, set me on high!
30

I will praise the name of God with a song;

I will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31

This will please the Lord more than an ox

or a bull with horns and hoofs. 32

When the humble see it they will be glad;

you who seek God, let your hearts revive. 33

For the Lord hears the needy

and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.
34

Let heaven and earth praise him,

the seas and everything that moves in them. 35

For God will save Zion

and build up the cities of Judah,

and people shall dwell there and possess it; 36

the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,

and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

PROVERBS 12

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12:1

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who hates reproof is stupid. 2

A good man obtains favor from the Lord,

but a man of evil devices he condemns. 3

No one is established by wickedness,

but the root of the righteous will never be moved. 4

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones. 5

The thoughts of the righteous are just;

the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. 6

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,

but the mouth of the upright delivers them. 7

The wicked are overthrown and are no more,

but the house of the righteous will stand. 8

A man is commended according to his good sense,

but one of twisted mind is despised. 9

Better to be lowly and have a servant

than to play the great man and lack bread. 10

Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. 11

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. 12

Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers,

but the root of the righteous bears fruit. 13

An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,

but the righteous escapes from trouble. 14

From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,

and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him. 15

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

but a wise man listens to advice. 16

The vexation of a fool is known at once,

but the prudent ignores an insult. 17

Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,

but a false witness utters deceit. 18

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing. 19

Truthful lips endure forever,

but a lying tongue is but for a moment. 20

Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,

but those who plan peace have joy. 21

No ill befalls the righteous,

but the wicked are filled with trouble. 22

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

but those who act faithfully are his delight. 23

A prudent man conceals knowledge,

but the heart of fools proclaims folly. 24

The hand of the diligent will rule,

while the slothful will be put to forced labor. 25

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad. 26

One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,

but the way of the wicked leads them astray. 27

Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,

but the diligent man will get precious wealth. 28

In the path of righteousness is life,

and in its pathway there is no death.