EXODUS 20

« Exodus 19 | Exodus 20 | Exodus 21 »

The Ten Commandments  20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
    2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
    3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
    4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
    7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
    8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
    12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
    13 “You shall not murder.
    14 “You shall not commit adultery.
    15 “You shall not steal.
    16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
    17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
    18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. Laws About Altars22 And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. 24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. 26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’

PSALM 29

« Psalm 28 | Psalm 29 | Psalm 30 »

Ascribe to the Lord GloryA Psalm of David.
29:1

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
3

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

the Lord, over many waters. 4

The voice of the Lord is powerful;

the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;

the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6

He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,

and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. 8

The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;

the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth

and strips the forests bare,

and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;

the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. 11

May the Lord give strength to his people!

May the Lord bless his people with peace!

PSALM 30

« Psalm 29 | Psalm 30 | Psalm 31 »

Joy Comes with the MorningA Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.
30:1

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up

and have not let my foes rejoice over me. 2

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,

and you have healed me. 3

O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;

you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
4

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,

and give thanks to his holy name. 5

For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.
6

As for me, I said in my prosperity,

“I shall never be moved.” 7

By your favor, O Lord,

you made my mountain stand strong;

you hid your face;

I was dismayed.
8

To you, O Lord, I cry,

and to the Lord I plead for mercy: 9

“What profit is there in my death,

if I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it tell of your faithfulness? 10

Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!

O Lord, be my helper!”
11

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

you have loosed my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness, 12

that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

PROVERBS 13

« Proverbs 12 | Proverbs 13 | Proverbs 14 »

13:1

A wise son hears his father’s instruction,

but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 2

From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,

but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. 3

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;

he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. 4

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. 5

The righteous hates falsehood,

but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. 6

Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked. 7

One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;

another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. 8

The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,

but a poor man hears no threat. 9

The light of the righteous rejoices,

but the lamp of the wicked will be put out. 10

By insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom. 11

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. 12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. 13

Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. 14

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death. 15

Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. 16

Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

but a fool flaunts his folly. 17

A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a faithful envoy brings healing. 18

Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,

but whoever heeds reproof is honored. 19

A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools. 20

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm. 21

Disaster pursues sinners,

but the righteous are rewarded with good. 22

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. 23

The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,

but it is swept away through injustice. 24

Whoever spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. 25

The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.