Week 50 Bible Reading Plan (December 11th-17th)
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1 John 1-3
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him. If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.
This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands. The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him: The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked.
Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old command that you have had from the beginning. The old command is the word you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother or sister remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother or sister is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he’s going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
I am writing to you, little children,
since your sins have been forgiven
on account of his name.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the one who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have conquered the evil one.
I have written to you, children,
because you have come to know the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the one who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong,
God’s word remains in you,
and you have conquered the evil one.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.
Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.
What you have heard from the beginning is to remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life.
I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him.
So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him. Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure.
Everyone who commits sin practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him. Everyone who remains in him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen him or known him.
Little children, let no one deceive you. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s works. Everyone who has been born of God does not sin, because his seed remains in him; he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. This is how God’s children and the devil’s children become obvious. Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother or sister.
For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.
This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things.
Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight. Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he has given us.
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1 John 4-5
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world.
You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him. This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden, because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.
Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Jesus Christ—he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement. If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him.
If anyone sees a fellow believer committing a sin that doesn’t lead to death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t lead to death. There is sin that leads to death. I am not saying he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that doesn’t lead to death.
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one. We are in the true one—that is, in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
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Jude, Psalm 107
Jude
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James:
To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.
May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. For some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.
Now I want to remind you, although you came to know all these things once and for all, that Jesus saved a people out of Egypt and later destroyed those who did not believe; and the angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deep darkness for the judgment on the great day. Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns committed sexual immorality and perversions, and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
In the same way these people—relying on their dreams—defile their flesh, reject authority, and slander glorious ones. Yet when Michael the archangel was disputing with the devil in an argument about Moses’s body, he did not dare utter a slanderous condemnation against him but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these people blaspheme anything they do not understand. And what they do understand by instinct—like irrational animals—by these things they are destroyed. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, have plunged into Balaam’s error for profit, and have perished in Korah’s rebellion.
These people are dangerous reefs at your love feasts as they eat with you without reverence. They are shepherds who only look after themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn—fruitless, twice dead and uprooted. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering stars for whom the blackness of darkness is reserved forever.
It was about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied: “Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all the ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against him.” These people are discontented grumblers, living according to their desires; their mouths utter arrogant words, flattering people for their own advantage.
But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They told you, “In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.” These people create divisions and are worldly, not having the Spirit.
But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. Have mercy on those who waver; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.
Psalm 107
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim
that he has redeemed them from the power of the foe
and has gathered them from the lands—
from the east and the west,
from the north and the south.
Some wandered in the desolate wilderness,
finding no way to a city where they could live.
They were hungry and thirsty;
their spirits failed within them.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
he rescued them from their distress.
He led them by the right path
to go to a city where they could live.
Let them give thanks to the Lord
for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all humanity.
For he has satisfied the thirsty
and filled the hungry with good things.
Others sat in darkness and gloom—
prisoners in cruel chains—
because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the counsel of the Most High.
He broke their spirits with hard labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
he saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness and gloom
and broke their chains apart.
Let them give thanks to the Lord
for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all humanity.
For he has broken down the bronze gates
and cut through the iron bars.
Fools suffered affliction
because of their rebellious ways and their iniquities.
They loathed all food
and came near the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
he saved them from their distress.
He sent his word and healed them;
he rescued them from their traps.
Let them give thanks to the Lord
for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all humanity.
Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices
and announce his works with shouts of joy.
Others went to sea in ships,
conducting trade on the vast water.
They saw the Lord’s works,
his wondrous works in the deep.
He spoke and raised a stormy wind
that stirred up the waves of the sea.
Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths,
their courage melting away in anguish,
they reeled and staggered like a drunkard,
and all their skill was useless.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
They rejoiced when the waves grew quiet.
Then he guided them to the harbor they longed for.
Let them give thanks to the Lord
for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all humanity.
Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.
He turns rivers into desert,
springs into thirsty ground,
and fruitful land into salty wasteland,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
He turns a desert into a pool,
dry land into springs.
He causes the hungry to settle there,
and they establish a city where they can live.
They sow fields and plant vineyards
that yield a fruitful harvest.
He blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
he does not let their livestock decrease.
When they are diminished and are humbled
by cruel oppression and sorrow,
he pours contempt on nobles
and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
But he lifts the needy out of their suffering
and makes their families multiply like flocks.
The upright see it and rejoice,
and all injustice shuts its mouth.
Let whoever is wise pay attention to these things
and consider the Lord’s acts of faithful love.
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Psalms 110-111
This is the declaration of the Lord
to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion.
Rule over your surrounding enemies.
Your people will volunteer
on your day of battle.
In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn,
the dew of your youth belongs to you.
The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back:
“You are a priest forever
according to the pattern of Melchizedek.”
The Lord is at your right hand;
he will crush kings on the day of his anger.
He will judge the nations, heaping up corpses;
he will crush leaders over the entire world.
He will drink from the brook by the road;
therefore, he will lift up his head.
Hallelujah!
I will praise the Lord with all my heart
in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
The Lord’s works are great,
studied by all who delight in them.
All that he does is splendid and majestic;
his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He has provided food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works
by giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are truth and justice;
all his instructions are trustworthy.
They are established forever and ever,
enacted in truth and in uprightness.
He has sent redemption to his people.
He has ordained his covenant forever.
His name is holy and awe-inspiring.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his instructions have good insight.
His praise endures forever
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Psalms 115-116, 118
Psalms 115-116
Not to us, Lord, not to us,
but to your name give glory
because of your faithful love, because of your truth.
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Our God is in heaven
and does whatever he pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot make a sound with their throats.
Those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
House of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
The Lord remembers us and will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
he will bless those who fear the Lord—
small and great alike.
May the Lord add to your numbers,
both yours and your children’s.
May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
The heavens are the Lord’s,
but the earth he has given to the human race.
It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
nor any of those descending into the silence of death.
But we will bless the Lord,
both now and forever.
Hallelujah!
I love the Lord because he has heard
my appeal for mercy.
Because he has turned his ear to me,
I will call out to him as long as I live.
The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
and the torments of Sheol overcame me;
I encountered trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate.
The Lord guards the inexperienced;
I was helpless, and he saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I said,
“I am severely oppressed.”
In my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”
How can I repay the Lord
for all the good he has done for me?
I will take the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
The death of his faithful ones
is valuable in the Lord’s sight.
Lord, I am indeed your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your female servant.
You have loosened my bonds.
I will offer you a thanksgiving sacrifice
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of the Lord’s house—
within you, Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 108
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.
Let Israel say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”
I called to the Lord in distress;
the Lord answered me
and put me in a spacious place.
The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?
The Lord is my helper;
therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humanity.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in nobles.
All the nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.
They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.
They surrounded me like bees;
they were extinguished like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.
They pushed me hard to make me fall,
but the Lord helped me.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!
The Lord’s right hand is raised.
The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!”
I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the Lord has done.
The Lord disciplined me severely
but did not give me over to death.
Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the Lord’s gate;
the righteous will enter through it.
I will give thanks to you
because you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This came from the Lord;
it is wondrous in our sight.
This is the day the Lord has made;
let’s rejoice and be glad in it.
Lord, save us!
Lord, please grant us success!
He who comes in the name
of the Lord is blessed.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
The Lord is God and has given us light.
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords
to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give you thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.
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Psalm 119
א Aleph
How happy are those whose way is blameless,
who walk according to the Lord’s instruction!
Happy are those who keep his decrees
and seek him with all their heart.
They do nothing wrong;
they walk in his ways.
You have commanded that your precepts
be diligently kept.
If only my ways were committed
to keeping your statutes!
Then I would not be ashamed
when I think about all your commands.
I will praise you with an upright heart
when I learn your righteous judgments.
I will keep your statutes;
never abandon me.
ב Beth
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping your word.
I have sought you with all my heart;
don’t let me wander from your commands.
I have treasured your word in my heart
so that I may not sin against you.
Lord, may you be blessed;
teach me your statutes.
With my lips I proclaim
all the judgments from your mouth.
I rejoice in the way revealed by your decrees
as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts
and think about your ways.
I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.
ג Gimel
Deal generously with your servant
so that I might live;
then I will keep your word.
Open my eyes so that I may contemplate
wondrous things from your instruction.
I am a resident alien on earth;
do not hide your commands from me.
I am continually overcome
with longing for your judgments.
You rebuke the arrogant,
the ones under a curse,
who wander from your commands.
Take insult and contempt away from me,
for I have kept your decrees.
Though princes sit together speaking against me,
your servant will think about your statutes;
your decrees are my delight
and my counselors.
ד Daleth
My life is down in the dust;
give me life through your word.
I told you about my life,
and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
Help me understand
the meaning of your precepts
so that I can meditate on your wonders.
I am weary from grief;
strengthen me through your word.
Keep me from the way of deceit
and graciously give me your instruction.
I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set your ordinances before me.
I cling to your decrees;
Lord, do not put me to shame.
I pursue the way of your commands,
for you broaden my understanding.
ה He
Teach me, Lord, the meaning of your statutes,
and I will always keep them.
Help me understand your instruction,
and I will obey it
and follow it with all my heart.
Help me stay on the path of your commands,
for I take pleasure in it.
Turn my heart to your decrees
and not to dishonest profit.
Turn my eyes
from looking at what is worthless;
give me life in your ways.
Confirm what you said to your servant,
for it produces reverence for you.
Turn away the disgrace I dread;
indeed, your judgments are good.
How I long for your precepts!
Give me life through your righteousness.
ו Waw
Let your faithful love come to me, Lord,
your salvation, as you promised.
Then I can answer the one who taunts me,
for I trust in your word.
Never take the word of truth from my mouth,
for I hope in your judgments.
I will always obey your instruction,
forever and ever.
I will walk freely in an open place
because I study your precepts.
I will speak of your decrees before kings
and not be ashamed.
I delight in your commands,
which I love.
I will lift up my hands to your commands,
which I love,
and will meditate on your statutes.
ז Zayin
Remember your word to your servant;
you have given me hope through it.
This is my comfort in my affliction:
Your promise has given me life.
The arrogant constantly ridicule me,
but I do not turn away from your instruction.
Lord, I remember your judgments from long ago
and find comfort.
Fury seizes me because of the wicked
who reject your instruction.
Your statutes are the theme of my song
during my earthly life.
Lord, I remember your name in the night,
and I obey your instruction.
This is my practice:
I obey your precepts.
ח Cheth
The Lord is my portion;
I have promised to keep your words.
I have sought your favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
I thought about my ways
and turned my steps back to your decrees.
I hurried, not hesitating
to keep your commands.
Though the ropes of the wicked
were wrapped around me,
I did not forget your instruction.
I rise at midnight to thank you
for your righteous judgments.
I am a friend to all who fear you,
to those who keep your precepts.
Lord, the earth is filled with your faithful love;
teach me your statutes.
ט Teth
Lord, you have treated your servant well,
just as you promised.
Teach me good judgment and discernment,
for I rely on your commands.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
You are good, and you do what is good;
teach me your statutes.
The arrogant have smeared me with lies,
but I obey your precepts with all my heart.
Their hearts are hard and insensitive,
but I delight in your instruction.
It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I could learn your statutes.
Instruction from your lips is better for me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
י Yod
Your hands made me and formed me;
give me understanding
so that I can learn your commands.
Those who fear you will see me and rejoice,
for I put my hope in your word.
I know, Lord, that your judgments are just
and that you have afflicted me fairly.
May your faithful love comfort me
as you promised your servant.
May your compassion come to me
so that I may live,
for your instruction is my delight.
Let the arrogant be put to shame
for slandering me with lies;
I will meditate on your precepts.
Let those who fear you,
those who know your decrees, turn to me.
May my heart be blameless regarding your statutes
so that I will not be put to shame.
כ Kaph
I long for your salvation;
I put my hope in your word.
My eyes grow weary
looking for what you have promised;
I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
Though I have become like a wineskin dried by smoke,
I do not forget your statutes.
How many days must your servant wait?
When will you execute judgment on my persecutors?
The arrogant have dug pits for me;
they violate your instruction.
All your commands are true;
people persecute me with lies—help me!
They almost ended my life on earth,
but I did not abandon your precepts.
Give me life in accordance with your faithful love,
and I will obey the decree you have spoken.
ל Lamed
Lord, your word is forever;
it is firmly fixed in heaven.
Your faithfulness is for all generations;
you established the earth, and it stands firm.
Your judgments stand firm today,
for all things are your servants.
If your instruction had not been my delight,
I would have died in my affliction.
I will never forget your precepts,
for you have given me life through them.
I am yours; save me,
for I have studied your precepts.
The wicked hope to destroy me,
but I contemplate your decrees.
I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but your command is without limit.
מ Mem
How I love your instruction!
It is my meditation all day long.
Your command makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is always with me.
I have more insight than all my teachers
because your decrees are my meditation.
I understand more than the elders
because I obey your precepts.
I have kept my feet from every evil path
to follow your word.
I have not turned from your judgments,
for you yourself have instructed me.
How sweet your word is to my taste—
sweeter than honey in my mouth.
I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every false way.
נ Nun
Your word is a lamp for my feet
and a light on my path.
I have solemnly sworn
to keep your righteous judgments.
I am severely afflicted;
Lord, give me life according to your word.
Lord, please accept my freewill offerings of praise,
and teach me your judgments.
My life is constantly in danger,
yet I do not forget your instruction.
The wicked have set a trap for me,
but I have not wandered from your precepts.
I have your decrees as a heritage forever;
indeed, they are the joy of my heart.
I am resolved to obey your statutes
to the very end.
ס Samek
I hate those who are double-minded,
but I love your instruction.
You are my shelter and my shield;
I put my hope in your word.
Depart from me, you evil ones,
so that I may obey my God’s commands.
Sustain me as you promised, and I will live;
do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
Sustain me so that I can be safe
and always be concerned about your statutes.
You reject all who stray from your statutes,
for their deceit is a lie.
You remove all the wicked on earth
as if they were dross from metal;
therefore, I love your decrees.
I tremble in awe of you;
I fear your judgments.
ע Ayin
I have done what is just and right;
do not leave me to my oppressors.
Guarantee your servant’s well-being;
do not let the arrogant oppress me.
My eyes grow weary looking for your salvation
and for your righteous promise.
Deal with your servant based on your faithful love;
teach me your statutes.
I am your servant; give me understanding
so that I may know your decrees.
It is time for the Lord to act,
for they have violated your instruction.
Since I love your commands
more than gold, even the purest gold,
I carefully follow all your precepts
and hate every false way.
פ Pe
Your decrees are wondrous;
therefore I obey them.
The revelation of your words brings light
and gives understanding to the inexperienced.
I open my mouth and pant
because I long for your commands.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your practice toward those who love your name.
Make my steps steady through your promise;
don’t let any sin dominate me.
Redeem me from human oppression,
and I will keep your precepts.
Make your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
My eyes pour out streams of tears
because people do not follow your instruction.
צ Tsade
You are righteous, Lord,
and your judgments are just.
The decrees you issue are righteous
and altogether trustworthy.
My anger overwhelms me
because my foes forget your words.
Your word is completely pure,
and your servant loves it.
I am insignificant and despised,
but I do not forget your precepts.
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
and your instruction is true.
Trouble and distress have overtaken me,
but your commands are my delight.
Your decrees are righteous forever.
Give me understanding, and I will live.
ק Qoph
I call with all my heart; answer me, Lord.
I will obey your statutes.
I call to you; save me,
and I will keep your decrees.
I rise before dawn and cry out for help;
I put my hope in your word.
I am awake through each watch of the night
to meditate on your promise.
In keeping with your faithful love, hear my voice.
Lord, give me life in keeping with your justice.
Those who pursue evil plans come near;
they are far from your instruction.
You are near, Lord,
and all your commands are true.
Long ago I learned from your decrees
that you have established them forever.
ר Resh
Consider my affliction and rescue me,
for I have not forgotten your instruction.
Champion my cause and redeem me;
give me life as you promised.
Salvation is far from the wicked
because they do not study your statutes.
Your compassions are many, Lord;
give me life according to your judgments.
My persecutors and foes are many.
I have not turned from your decrees.
I have seen the disloyal and feel disgust
because they do not keep your word.
Consider how I love your precepts;
Lord, give me life according to your faithful love.
The entirety of your word is truth,
each of your righteous judgments endures forever.
שׂ Sin
Princes have persecuted me without cause,
but my heart fears only your word.
I rejoice over your promise
like one who finds vast treasure.
I hate and abhor falsehood,
but I love your instruction.
I praise you seven times a day
for your righteous judgments.
Abundant peace belongs to those
who love your instruction;
nothing makes them stumble.
Lord, I hope for your salvation
and carry out your commands.
I obey your decrees
and love them greatly.
I obey your precepts and decrees,
for all my ways are before you.
ת Taw
Let my cry reach you, Lord;
give me understanding according to your word.
Let my plea reach you;
rescue me according to your promise.
My lips pour out praise,
for you teach me your statutes.
My tongue sings about your promise,
for all your commands are righteous.
May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
I long for your salvation, Lord,
and your instruction is my delight.
Let me live, and I will praise you;
may your judgments help me.
I wander like a lost sheep;
seek your servant,
for I do not forget your commands.
