the First Week of Advent
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
June 2 - Old & New Testament
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Psalms 53,55,58
Psalm 53
A Portrait of Sinners
For the choir director: on Mahalath.[a](a) A Davidic Maskil.
1 The fool says in his heart, "God does not exist."
They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.(b)
2 God looks down from heaven on the human race
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.(c)
3 All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.(d)
4 Will evildoers never understand?
They consume My people as they consume bread;(e)
they do not call on God.(f)
5 Then they will be filled with terror—
terror like no other(g)—
because God will scatter
the bones of those who besiege you.(h)
You will put them to shame,
for God has rejected them.(i)
6 Oh, that Israel's deliverance would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of His people,[b]
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.(j)
Psalm 54
Prayer for Deliverance
For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Davidic Maskil. When the Ziphites went and said to Saul, "Is David not hiding among us?"(a)
1 God, save me by Your name,
and vindicate me by Your might!(b)
2 God, hear my prayer;
listen to the words of my mouth.(c)
3 For strangers rise up against me,
and violent men seek my life.
They have no regard for God.[a](d)
4 God is my helper;
the Lord is the sustainer of my life.[b](e)
5 He will repay my adversaries for their evil.
Because of Your faithfulness, annihilate them.(f)
6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to You.(g)
I will praise Your name, Yahweh,
because it is good.(h)
7 For He has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked down on my enemies.(i)
Psalm 55
Betrayal by a Friend
For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Davidic Maskil.
1 God, listen to my prayer
and do not ignore[a] my plea for help.(a)
2 Pay attention to me and answer me.(b)
I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint,(c)
3 because of the enemy's voice,
because of the pressure[b] of the wicked.
For they bring down disaster on me[c]
and harass me in anger.(d)
4 My heart shudders within me;(e)
terrors of death sweep over me.
5 Fear and trembling grip me;
horror has overwhelmed me.(f)
6 I said, "If only I had[d] wings like a dove!
I would fly away and find rest.(g)
7 How far away I would flee;
I would stay in the wilderness.(h)
8 I would hurry to my shelter
from the raging wind and the storm."(i)
9 Lord, confuse[e] and confound their speech,[f](j)
for I see violence and strife in the city;
10 day and night they make the rounds on its walls.
Crime and trouble are within it;(k)
11 destruction is inside it;
oppression and deceit never leave its marketplace.(l)
12 Now it is not an enemy who insults me—
otherwise I could bear it;
it is not a foe who rises up against me—
otherwise I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man who is my peer,
my companion and good friend!(m)
14 We used to have close fellowship;
we walked with the crowd into the house of God.(n)
15 Let death take them by surprise;(o)
let them go down to Sheol alive,
because evil is in their homes and within them.(p)
16 But I call to God,
and the
Lord
will save me.(q)
17 I complain and groan morning, noon, and night,(r)
and He hears my voice.(s)
18 Though many are against me,
He will redeem me from my battle unharmed.(t)
19 God, the One enthroned from long ago,(u)
will hear and will humiliate them
because they do not change
and do not fear God.(v)
20 My friend(w) acts violently
against those at peace with him;(x)
he violates his covenant.(y)
21 His buttery words are smooth,[g]
but war is in his heart.
His words are softer than oil,
but they are drawn swords.(z)
22 Cast your burden on the
Lord
,
and He will sustain you;(aa)
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.(ab)
23 God, You will bring them down
to the Pit of destruction;(ac)
men of bloodshed and treachery
will not live out half their days.(ad)
But I will trust in You.(ae)
Psalm 56
A Call for God's Protection
For the choir director: according to "A Silent Dove Far Away."[a] A Davidic Miktam. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.(a)
1 Be gracious to me, God, for man tramples me;
he fights and oppresses me all day long.
2 My adversaries trample me all day,
for many arrogantly fight against me.[b](b)
3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in You.(c)
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?(d)
5 They twist my words all day long;
all their thoughts against me are evil.(e)
6 They stir up strife,[c] they lurk;
they watch my steps
while they wait to take my life.(f)
7 Will they escape in spite of such sin?
God, bring down the nations in wrath.(g)
8 You Yourself have recorded my wanderings.[d]
Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your records?(h)
9 Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call.(i)
This I know: God is for me.(j)
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the
Lord
, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?(k)
12 I am obligated by vows[e] to You, God;
I will make my thank offerings to You.(l)
13 For You delivered me from death,
even my feet from stumbling,
to walk before God in the light of life.(m)
Psalm 57
Praise for God's Protection
For the choir director: "Do Not Destroy."[a] A Davidic Miktam. When he fled before Saul into the cave.(a)
1 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
for I take refuge in You.
I will seek refuge in the shadow of Your wings
until danger passes.(b)
2 I call to God Most High,
to God who fulfills His purpose for me.[b](c)
3 He reaches down from heaven and saves me,
challenging the one who tramples me.(d)
God sends His faithful love and truth.(e)
4 I am surrounded by lions;
I lie down with those who devour men.
Their teeth are spears and arrows;
their tongues are sharp swords.(f)
5 God, be exalted above the heavens;
let Your glory be over the whole earth.(g)
6 They prepared a net for my steps;
I was despondent.
They dug a pit ahead of me,
but they fell into it!(h)
7 My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.
I will sing; I will sing praises.(i)
8 Wake up, my soul![c]
Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will wake up the dawn.(j)
9 I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.(k)
10 For Your faithful love is as high as the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches the clouds.(l)
11 God, be exalted above the heavens;(m)
let Your glory be over the whole earth.(n)
Psalm 58
A Cry against Injustice
For the choir director: "Do Not Destroy."[a] A Davidic Miktam.
1 Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?[b]
Do you judge people fairly?(a)
2 No, you practice injustice in your hearts;
with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.(b)
3 The wicked go astray from the womb;
liars err from birth.(c)
4 They have venom like the venom of a snake,
like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,(d)
5 that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.(e)
6 God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;
Lord
, tear out the young lions' fangs.(f)
7 They will vanish like water that flows by;
they will aim their useless arrows.[c][d](g)
8 Like a slug that moves along in slime,
like a woman's miscarried child,
they will not see the sun.(h)
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether green or burning—
He will sweep them away.[e](i)
10 The righteous one will rejoice
when he sees the retribution;(j)
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.(k)
11 Then people will say,
"Yes, there is a reward for the righteous!
There is a God who judges on earth!"(l)
John 13:1-20
Chapter 13
Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet
1 Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father.(a) Having loved His own who were in the world,(b) He loved them to the end.[a]
2 Now by the time of supper, the Devil(c) had already put it into the heart of Judas,(d) Simon Iscariot's son, to betray(e) Him. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into His hands,(f) that He had come from God,(g) and that He was going back to God.(h) 4 So He got up from supper, laid aside His robe,(i) took a towel, and tied it around Himself.(j) 5 Next, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet and to dry them with the towel tied around Him.
6 He came to Simon Peter,(k) who asked Him, "Lord, are You going to wash my feet?"
7 Jesus answered him, "What I'm doing you don't understand now, but afterward you will know." (l)
8 "You will never wash my feet—ever!" Peter said.
Jesus replied, "If I don't wash you, you have no part with Me."
9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head."
10 "One who has bathed," Jesus told him, "doesn't need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you." 11 For He knew who would betray Him. This is why He said, "You are not all clean."
The Meaning of Footwashing
12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on His robe, He reclined[b] again and said to them, "Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord. This is well said, for I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.(m) 15 For I have given you an example(n) that you also should do just as I have done for you.
16 "I assure you: A slave is not greater than his master, [c](o) and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.(p) 18 I'm not speaking about all of you; I know those I have chosen.(q) But the Scripture(r) must be fulfilled:(s) The one who eats My bread [d] has raised his heel against Me. (t)[e]
19 "I am telling you now before it happens,(u) so that when it does happen you will believe(v) that I am He. (w) 20 I assure you: Whoever receives anyone I send receives Me, and the one who receives(x) Me receives Him who sent Me."
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
