the Third Week after Easter
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
May 18 - Old & New Testament
niv
Psalms 64,70
Psalm 64[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;(a)
protect my life from the threat of the enemy.(b)
2 Hide me from the conspiracy(c) of the wicked,(d)
from the plots of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords(e)
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.(f)
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent;(g)
they shoot suddenly, without fear.(h)
5 They encourage each other in evil plans,
they talk about hiding their snares;(i)
they say, "Who will see it[b]?"(j)
6 They plot injustice and say,
"We have devised a perfect plan!"
Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.
7 But God will shoot them with his arrows;
they will suddenly be struck down.
8 He will turn their own tongues against them(k)
and bring them to ruin;
all who see them will shake their heads(l) in scorn.(m)
9 All people will fear;(n)
they will proclaim the works of God
and ponder what he has done.(o)
10 The righteous will rejoice in the
Lord
(p)
and take refuge in him;(q)
all the upright in heart will glory in him!(r)
Psalm 65[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.
1 Praise awaits[b] you, our God, in Zion;(a)
to you our vows will be fulfilled.(b)
2 You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come.(c)
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,(d)
you forgave[c] our transgressions.(e)
4 Blessed are those you choose(f)
and bring near(g) to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,(h)
of your holy temple.
5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,(i)
God our Savior,(j)
the hope of all the ends of the earth(k)
and of the farthest seas,(l)
6 who formed the mountains(m) by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,(n)
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,(o)
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.(p)
8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.(q)
9 You care for the land and water it;(r)
you enrich it abundantly.(s)
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,(t)
for so you have ordained it.[d]
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers(u) and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,(v)
and your carts overflow with abundance.(w)
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;(x)
the hills are clothed with gladness.(y)
13 The meadows are covered with flocks(z)
and the valleys are mantled with grain;(aa)
they shout for joy and sing.(ab)
Psalm 66
For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth!(a)
2
Sing the glory of his name;(b)
make his praise glorious.(c)
3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!(d)
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe(e) before you.
4 All the earth bows down(f) to you;
they sing praise(g) to you,
they sing the praises of your name."[a]
5 Come and see what God has done,
his awesome deeds(h) for mankind!
6 He turned the sea into dry land,(i)
they passed through(j) the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice(k) in him.
7 He rules forever(l) by his power,
his eyes watch(m) the nations—
let not the rebellious(n) rise up against him.
8 Praise(o) our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
9 he has preserved our lives(p)
and kept our feet from slipping.(q)
10 For you, God, tested(r) us;
you refined us like silver.(s)
11 You brought us into prison(t)
and laid burdens(u) on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads;(v)
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.(w)
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings(x)
and fulfill my vows(y) to you—
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you
and an offering of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.(z)
16 Come and hear,(aa) all you who fear God;
let me tell(ab) you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;(ac)
19 but God has surely listened
and has heard(ad) my prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected(ae) my prayer
or withheld his love from me!
Psalm 67[a]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—[b](a)
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation(b) among all nations.(c)
3 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.(d)
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,(e)
for you rule the peoples with equity(f)
and guide the nations of the earth.(g)
5 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest;(h)
God, our God, blesses us.(i)
7 May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth(j) will fear him.(k)
Psalm 68[a]
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.
1 May God arise,(a) may his enemies be scattered;(b)
may his foes flee(c) before him.
2 May you blow them away like smoke—(d)
as wax melts(e) before the fire,
may the wicked perish(f) before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice(g) before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,(h)
extol him who rides on the clouds[b](i);
rejoice before him—his name is the
Lord
.(j)
5 A father to the fatherless,(k) a defender of widows,(l)
is God in his holy dwelling.(m)
6 God sets the lonely(n) in families,[c](o)
he leads out the prisoners(p) with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.(q)
7 When you, God, went out(r) before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness,[d](s)
8 the earth shook,(t) the heavens poured down rain,(u)
before God, the One of Sinai,(v)
before God, the God of Israel.(w)
9 You gave abundant showers,(x) O God;
you refreshed your weary inheritance.
10 Your people settled in it,
and from your bounty,(y) God, you provided(z) for the poor.
11 The Lord announces the word,
and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:(aa)
12 "Kings and armies flee(ab) in haste;
the women at home divide the plunder.(ac)
13 Even while you sleep among the sheep pens,[e](ad)
the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,
its feathers with shining gold."
14 When the Almighty[f] scattered(ae) the kings in the land,
it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.(af)
15 Mount Bashan,(ag) majestic mountain,(ah)
Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,
16 why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain,
at the mountain where God chooses(ai) to reign,
where the
Lord
himself will dwell forever?(aj)
17 The chariots(ak) of God are tens of thousands
and thousands of thousands;(al)
the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.[g]
18 When you ascended(am) on high,(an)
you took many captives;(ao)
you received gifts from people,(ap)
even from[h] the rebellious(aq)—
that you,[i]
Lord
God, might dwell there.
19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,(ar)
who daily bears our burdens.(as)
20 Our God is a God who saves;(at)
from the Sovereign
Lord
comes escape from death.(au)
21 Surely God will crush the heads(av) of his enemies,
the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
22 The Lord says, "I will bring them from Bashan;
I will bring them from the depths of the sea,(aw)
23 that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,(ax)
while the tongues of your dogs(ay) have their share."
24 Your procession, God, has come into view,
the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.(az)
25 In front are the singers,(ba) after them the musicians;(bb)
with them are the young women playing the timbrels.(bc)
26 Praise God in the great congregation;(bd)
praise the
Lord
in the assembly of Israel.(be)
27 There is the little tribe(bf) of Benjamin,(bg) leading them,
there the great throng of Judah's princes,
and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.(bh)
28 Summon your power,(bi) God[j];
show us your strength,(bj) our God, as you have done(bk) before.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings will bring you gifts.(bl)
30 Rebuke the beast(bm) among the reeds,(bn)
the herd of bulls(bo) among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver.
Scatter the nations(bp) who delight in war.(bq)
31 Envoys will come from Egypt;(br)
Cush[k](bs) will submit herself to God.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,(bt)
sing praise(bu) to the Lord,
33 to him who rides(bv) across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
who thunders(bw) with mighty voice.(bx)
34 Proclaim the power(by) of God,
whose majesty(bz) is over Israel,
whose power is in the heavens.
35 You, God, are awesome(ca) in your sanctuary;(cb)
the God of Israel gives power and strength(cc) to his people.(cd)
Praise be to God!(ce)
Psalm 69[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of "Lilies." Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters(a) have come up to my neck.(b)
2 I sink in the miry depths,(c)
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;(d)
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,(e)
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me(f) without reason(g)
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,(h)
those who seek to destroy me.(i)
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.
5 You, God, know my folly;(j)
my guilt is not hidden from you.(k)
6 Lord, the
Lord
Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn(l) for your sake,(m)
and shame covers my face.(n)
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother's children;(o)
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,(p)
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.(q)
10 When I weep and fast,(r)
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,(s)
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate(t) mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.(u)
13 But I pray to you,
Lord
,
in the time of your favor;(v)
in your great love,(w) O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.(x)
15 Do not let the floodwaters(y) engulf me
or the depths swallow me up(z)
or the pit close its mouth over me.(aa)
16 Answer me,
Lord
, out of the goodness of your love;(ab)
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face(ac) from your servant;
answer me quickly,(ad) for I am in trouble.(ae)
18 Come near and rescue me;
deliver(af) me because of my foes.
19 You know how I am scorned,(ag) disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters,(ah) but I found none.(ai)
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar(aj) for my thirst.(ak)
22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and[b] a trap.(al)
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.(am)
24 Pour out your wrath(an) on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted;(ao)
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.(ap)
26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.(aq)
27 Charge them with crime upon crime;(ar)
do not let them share in your salvation.(as)
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life(at)
and not be listed with the righteous.(au)
29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.(av)
30 I will praise God's name in song(aw)
and glorify him(ax) with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the
Lord
more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.(ay)
32 The poor will see and be glad(az)—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!(ba)
33 The
Lord
hears the needy(bb)
and does not despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,(bc)
35 for God will save Zion(bd)
and rebuild the cities of Judah.(be)
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36
the children of his servants will inherit it,(bf)
and those who love his name will dwell there.(bg)
Psalm 70[a](a)
For the director of music. Of David. A petition.
1 Hasten, O God, to save me;
come quickly,
Lord
, to help me.(b)
2 May those who want to take my life(c)
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.(d)
3 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"(e)
turn back because of their shame.
4 But may all who seek you(f)
rejoice and be glad(g) in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
"The
Lord
is great!"(h)
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy;(i)
come quickly to me,(j) O God.
You are my help(k) and my deliverer;(l)
Lord
, do not delay.(m)
John 6:1-21
Chapter 6
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand(a)
1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs(b) he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside(c) and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival(d) was near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip,(e) "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, "It would take more than half a year's wages[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother,(f) spoke up, 9 "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"(g)
10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks,(h) and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After the people saw the sign(i) Jesus performed, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."(j) 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king(k) by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.(l)
Jesus Walks on the Water(m)
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles,[b] they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water;(n) and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid."(o) 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
