Feb. 01

Matthew 16:13-28

13 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16 Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
18 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
19 I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
20 Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.
21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he 17 must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.
22 Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."
23 He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
26 What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct.
28 Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Psalms 50:1-23


1 A psalm of Asaph. 1 The LORD, the God of gods, has spoken and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 From Zion God shines forth. perfect in beauty.
3 Our God comes and will not be silent! Devouring fire precedes, storming fiercely round about.
4 God summons the heavens above and the earth to the judgment of his people:
5 "Gather my faithful ones before me, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
6 The heavens proclaim divine justice, for God alone is the judge. Selah
7 "Listen, my people, I will speak; Israel, I will testify against you; God, your God, am I.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you, nor for your holocausts, set before me daily.
9 I need no bullock from your house, no goats from your fold.
10 For every animal of the forest is mine, beasts by the thousands on my mountains.
11 I know every bird of the heavens; the creatures of the field belong to me.
12 Were I hungry, I would not tell you, for mine is the world and all that fills it.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer praise as your sacrifice to God; fulfill your vows to the Most High.
15 Then call on me in time of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall honor me."
16 But to the wicked God says: "Why do you recite my commandments and profess my covenant with your lips?
17 You hate discipline; you cast my words behind you!
18 When you see thieves, you befriend them; with adulterers you throw in your lot.
19 You give your mouth free rein for evil; you harness your tongue to deceit.
20 You sit maligning your own kin, slandering the child of your own mother.
21 When you do these things should I be silent? Or do you think that I am like you? I accuse you, I lay the charge before you.
22 "Understand this, you who forget God, lest I attack you with no one to rescue.
23 Those who offer praise as a sacrifice honor me; to the obedient I will show the salvation of God."

Feb. 02

Matthew 17:1-13
1 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
2 And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.
3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.
4 Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.
7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid."
8 And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
10 Then the disciples asked him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
11 He said in reply, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;
12 but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands."
13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Psalms 51:1-21


1 For the leader. A psalm of David,
2 when Nathan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bathsheba.
3 Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense.
4 Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me.
5 For I know my offense; my sin is always before me.
6 Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight That you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn.
7 True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me.
8 Still, you insist on sincerity of heart; in my inmost being teach me wisdom.
9 Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure; wash me, make me whiter than snow.
10 Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
11 Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt.
12 A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.
13 Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your holy spirit.
14 Restore my joy in your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit.
15 I will teach the wicked your ways, that sinners may return to you.
16 Rescue me from death, God, my saving God, that my tongue may praise your healing power.
17 Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise.
18 For you do not desire sacrifice; a burnt offering you would not accept.
19 My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.
20 Make Zion prosper in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
21 Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifice, burnt offerings and holocausts; then bullocks will be offered on your altar.

Feb. 03

Matthew 17:14-27

14 When they came to the crowd a man approached, knelt down before him,
15 and said, "Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water.
16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him."
17 Jesus said in reply, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him here to me."
18 Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured.
19 Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, "Why could we not drive it out?"
20 He said to them, "Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
21 )
22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,
23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were overwhelmed with grief.
24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?"
25 "Yes," he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, "What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?"
26 When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him, "Then the subjects are exempt.
27 But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you."

Psalms 52 & 53

Psalm 52
1 For the leader. A maskil of David,
2 when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, "David went to the house of Ahimelech."
3 Why do you glory in evil, you scandalous liar? All day long
4 you plot destruction; your tongue is like a sharpened razor, you skillful deceiver.
5 You love evil rather than good, lies rather than honest speech. Selah
6 You love any word that destroys, you deceitful tongue.
7 Now God will strike you down, leave you crushed forever, Pluck you from your tent, uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
8 The righteous will look on with awe; they will jeer and say:
9 "That one did not take God as a refuge, but trusted in great wealth, relied on devious plots."
10 But I, like an olive tree in the house of God, trust in God's faithful love forever.
11 I will praise you always for what you have done. I will proclaim before the faithful that your name is good.

Psalm 53
1 For the leader; according to Mahalath. A maskil of David.
2 Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." Their deeds are loathsome and corrupt; not one does what is right.
3 God looks down from heaven upon the human race, To see if even one is wise, if even one seeks God.
4 All have gone astray; all alike are perverse. Not one does what is right, not even one.
5 Will these evildoers never learn? They devour my people as they devour bread; they do not call upon God.
6 They have good reason to fear, though now they do not fear. For God will certainly scatter the bones of the godless. They will surely be put to shame, for God has rejected them.
7 Oh, that from Zion might come the deliverance of Israel, That Jacob may rejoice and Israel be glad when God restores the people!

Feb. 04

Matthew 18:1-14

1 At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2 He called a child over, placed it in their midst,
3 and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
6 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
7 Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come!
8 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into eternal fire.
9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into fiery Gehenna.
10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
11
12 What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?
13 And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
14 In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.


Psalms 54:1-9


1 For the leader. On stringed instruments. A maskil of David,
2 when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, "David is hiding among us."
3 O God, by your name save me. By your strength defend my cause.
4 O God, hear my prayer. Listen to the words of my mouth.
5 The arrogant have risen against me; the ruthless seek my life; they do not keep God before them. Selah
6 God is present as my helper; the Lord sustains my life.
7 Turn back the evil upon my foes; in your faithfulness, destroy them.
8 Then I will offer you generous sacrifice and praise your gracious name, LORD,
9 Because it has rescued me from every trouble, and my eyes look down on my foes.

Feb. 05

Matthew 18:15-35

15 "If your brother sins (against you), go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
16 If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
18 Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again, (amen,) I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
21 Then Peter approaching asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?"
22 Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
23 That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
24 When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
25 Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt.
26 At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
27 Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.
28 When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.'
29 Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
30 But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt.
31 Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
32 His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
33 Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?'
34 Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.
35 So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."

Psalms 55:1-24

1 For the leader. On stringed instruments. A maskil of David.
2 Listen, God, to my prayer; do not hide from my pleading;
3 hear me and give answer. I rock with grief; I groan
4 at the uproar of the enemy, the clamor of the wicked. They heap trouble upon me, savagely accuse me.
5 My heart pounds within me; death's terrors fall upon me.
6 Fear and trembling overwhelm me; shuddering sweeps over me.
7 I say, "If only I had wings like a dove that I might fly away and find rest.
8 Far away I would flee; I would stay in the desert. Selah
9 I would soon find a shelter from the raging wind and storm."
10 Lord, check and confuse their scheming. I see violence and strife in the city
11 making rounds on its walls day and night. Within are mischief and evil;
12 treachery is there as well; oppression and fraud never leave its streets.
13 If an enemy had reviled me, that I could bear; If my foe had viewed me with contempt, from that I could hide.
14 But it was you, my other self, my comrade and friend,
15 You, whose company I enjoyed, at whose side I walked in procession in the house of God.
16 Let death take them by surprise; let them go down alive to Sheol, for evil is in their homes and hearts.
17 But I will call upon God, and the LORD will save me.
18 At dusk, dawn, and noon I will grieve and complain, and my prayer will be heard.
19 God will give me freedom and peace from those who war against me, though there are many who oppose me.
20 God, who sits enthroned forever, will hear me and humble them. For they will not mend their ways; they have no fear of God.
21 They strike out at friends and go back on their promises.
22 Softer than butter is their speech, but war is in their hearts. Smoother than oil are their words, but they are unsheathed swords.
23 Cast your care upon the LORD, who will give you support. God will never allow the righteous to stumble.
24 But you, God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction. These bloodthirsty liars will not live half their days, but I put my trust in you.

Feb. 06

Matthew 19:1-12

1 When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.
2 Great crowds followed him, and he cured them there.
3 Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him, saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?"
4 He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female'
5 and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate."
7 They said to him, "Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss (her)?"
8 He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
9 I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery."
10 His disciples said to him, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry."
11 He answered, "Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted.
12 Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."

Psalms 56:1-14


1 For the director. According to Yonath elem rehoqim. A miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him at Gath.
2 Have mercy on me, God, for I am treated harshly; attackers press me all the day.
3 My foes treat me harshly all the day; yes, many are my attackers. O Most High,
4 when I am afraid, in you I place my trust.
5 God, I praise your promise; in you I trust, I do not fear. What can mere flesh do to me?
6 All the day they foil my plans; their every thought is of evil against me.
7 They hide together in ambush; they watch my every step; they lie in wait for my life.
8 They are evil; watch them, God! Cast the nations down in your anger!
9 My wanderings you have noted; are my tears not stored in your vial, recorded in your book?
10 My foes turn back when I call on you. This I know: God is on my side.
11 God, I praise your promise;
12 in you I trust, I do not fear. What can mere mortals do to me?
13 I have made vows to you, God; with offerings I will fulfill them,
14 Once you have snatched me from death, kept my feet from stumbling, That I may walk before God in the light of the living.

Feb. 07

Matthew 19:13-30

13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them,
14 but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
15 After he placed his hands on them, he went away.
16 Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?"
17 He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
18 He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, " 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
19 honor your father and your mother'; and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
20 The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"
21 Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22 When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?"
26 Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible."
27 Then Peter said to him in reply, "We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?"
28 Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.
30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

Psalms 57:1-12


1 For the director. Do not destroy. A miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into a cave.
2 Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me. In you I seek shelter. In the shadow of your wings I seek shelter till harm pass by.
3 I call to God Most High, to God who provides for me.
4 May God send help from heaven to save me, shame those who trample upon me. May God send fidelity and love. Selah
5 I must lie down in the midst of lions hungry for human prey. Their teeth are spears and arrows; their tongue, a sharpened sword.
6 Show yourself over the heavens, God; may your glory appear above all the earth.
7 They have set a trap for my feet; my soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me. May they fall into it themselves! Selah
8 My heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and chant praise.
9 Awake, my soul; awake, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn.
10 I will praise you among the peoples, Lord; I will chant your praise among the nations.
11 For your love towers to the heavens; your faithfulness, to the skies.
12 Show yourself over the heavens, God; may your glory appear above all the earth.

Feb. 08

Matthew 20:1-16

1 "The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4 2 and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.'
5 So they went off. (And) he went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise.
6 Going out about five o'clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
7 They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'
8 When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
9 When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage.
10 So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.
11 And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner,
12 saying, 'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
13 He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
14 Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
15 (Or) am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?'
16 Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Psalms 58:1-12


1 For the leader. Do not destroy. A miktam of David.
2 Do you indeed pronounce justice, O gods; do you judge mortals fairly?
3 No, you freely engage in crime; your hands dispense violence to the earth.
4 The wicked have been corrupt since birth; liars from the womb, they have gone astray.
5 Their poison is like the poison of a snake, like that of a serpent stopping its ears,
6 So as not to hear the voice of the charmer who casts such cunning spells.
7 O God, smash the teeth in their mouths; break the jaw-teeth of these lions, LORD!
8 Make them vanish like water flowing away; trodden down, let them wither like grass.
9 Let them dissolve like a snail that oozes away, like an untimely birth that never sees the sun.
10 Suddenly, like brambles or thistles, have the whirlwind snatch them away.
11 Then the just shall rejoice to see the vengeance and bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
12 Then it will be said: "Truly there is a reward for the just; there is a God who is judge on earth!"

Feb. 09

Matthew 20:17-34

17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve (disciples) aside by themselves, and said to them on the way,
18 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death,
19 and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
21 He said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom."
22 Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can."
23 He replied, "My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left (, this) is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
24 When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers.
25 But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
26 But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
27 whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
28 Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
29 As they left Jericho, a great crowd followed him.
30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, "[Lord,] Son of David, have pity on us!"
31 The crowd warned them to be silent, but they called out all the more, "Lord, Son of David, have pity on us!"
32 Jesus stopped and called them and said, "What do you want me to do for you?"
33 They answered him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened."
34 Moved with pity, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight, and followed him.

Psalms 59:1-18

1 For the leader. Do not destroy. A miktam of David.
2 Do you indeed pronounce justice, O gods; do you judge mortals fairly?
3 No, you freely engage in crime; your hands dispense violence to the earth.
4 The wicked have been corrupt since birth; liars from the womb, they have gone astray.
5 Their poison is like the poison of a snake, like that of a serpent stopping its ears,
6 So as not to hear the voice of the charmer who casts such cunning spells.
7 O God, smash the teeth in their mouths; break the jaw-teeth of these lions, LORD!
8 Make them vanish like water flowing away; trodden down, let them wither like grass.
9 Let them dissolve like a snail that oozes away, like an untimely birth that never sees the sun.
10 Suddenly, like brambles or thistles, have the whirlwind snatch them away.
11 Then the just shall rejoice to see the vengeance and bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
12 May God go before me, and show me my fallen foes. Slay them, God, lest they deceive my people. Shake them by your power; Lord, our shield, bring them down.
13 For the sinful words of their mouths and lips let them be caught in their pride. For the lies they have told under oath
14 destroy them in anger, destroy till they are no more. Then people will know God rules over Jacob, yes, even to the ends of the earth. Selah
15 Each evening they return, growling like dogs, prowling the city.
16 They roam about as scavengers; if they are not filled, they howl.
17 But I shall sing of your strength, extol your love at dawn, For you are my fortress, my refuge in time of trouble.
18 My strength, your praise I will sing; you, God, are my fortress, my loving God.

Feb. 10

Matthew 21:1-16

1 When they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me.
3 And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, 'The master has need of them.' Then he will send them at once."
4 This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
5 "Say to daughter Zion, 'Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them.
7 They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them.
8 The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road.
9 The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: "Hosanna 7 to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest."
10 And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, "Who is this?"
11 And the crowds replied, "This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee."
12 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
13 And he said to them, "It is written: 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you are making it a den of thieves."
14 The blind and the lame approached him in the temple area, and he cured them.
15 When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wondrous things he was doing, and the children crying out in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant
16 and said to him, "Do you hear what they are saying?" Jesus said to them, "Yes; and have you never read the text, 'Out of the mouths of infants and nurslings you have brought forth praise'?"


Psalms 60:1-14

1 For the leader; according to "The Lily of...." A miktam of David (for teaching),
2 when he fought against Aram-Naharaim and Aram-Zobah; and Joab, coming back, killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
3 O God, you rejected us, broke our defenses; you were angry but now revive us.
4 You rocked the earth, split it open; repair the cracks for it totters.
5 You made your people go through hardship, made us stagger from the wine you gave us.
6 Raise up a flag for those who revere you, a refuge for them out of bow shot. Selah
7 Help with your right hand and answer us that your loved ones may escape.
8 In the sanctuary God promised: "I will exult, will apportion Shechem; the valley of Succoth I will measure out.
9 Gilead is mine, mine is Manasseh; Ephraim is the helmet for my head, Judah, my own scepter. 10 Moab is my washbowl; upon Edom I cast my sandal. I will triumph over Philistia."
11 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me into Edom?
12 Was it not you who rejected us, God? Do you no longer march with our armies?
13 Give us aid against the foe; worthless is human help.
14 We will triumph with the help of God, who will trample down our foes.

Psalms 61:1-9

1 For the leader; with stringed instruments. Of David.
2 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer!
3 From the brink of Sheol I call; my heart grows faint. Raise me up, set me on a rock,
4 for you are my refuge, a tower of strength against the foe.
5 Then I will ever dwell in your tent, take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah
6 O God, when you accept my vows and hear the plea of those who revere your name in prayer:
7 "Add to the days of the king's life; may his years be many generations;
8 May he reign before God forever; may your love and fidelity preserve him"--
9 Then I will sing your name forever, fulfill my vows day after day.

Feb. 11

Matthew 21:17-32

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany, and there he spent the night.
18 When he was going back to the city in the morning, he was hungry.
19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went over to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again." And immediately the fig tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed and said, "How was it that the fig tree withered immediately?"
21 Jesus said to them in reply, "Amen, I say to you, if you have faith and do not waver, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done.
22 Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."
23 When he had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, "By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?"
24 Jesus said to them in reply, "I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.
25 Where was John's baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?" They discussed this among themselves and said, "If we say 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?'
26 But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet."
27 So they said to Jesus in reply, "We do not know." He himself said to them, "Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.
28 "What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
29 He said in reply, 'I will not,' but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
30 The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go.
31 Which of the two did his father's will?" They answered, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
32 When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him

Proverbs 10:1-16

1 The Proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes his father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
2 Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but virtue saves from death.
3 The LORD permits not the just to hunger, but the craving of the wicked he thwarts.
4 The slack hand impoverishes, but the hand of the diligent enriches.
5 A son who fills the granaries in summer is a credit; a son who slumbers during harvest, a disgrace.
6 Blessings are for the head of the just, but a rod for the back of the fool.
7 The memory of the just will be blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 A wise man heeds commands, but a prating fool will be overthrown.
9 He who walks honestly walks securely, but he whose ways are crooked will fare badly.
10 He who winks at a fault causes trouble, but he who frankly reproves promotes peace.
11 A fountain of life is the mouth of the just, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up disputes, but love covers all offenses.
13 On the lips of the intelligent is found wisdom, (but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence).
14 Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool is imminent ruin.
15 The rich man's wealth is his strong city; the ruination of the lowly is their poverty.
16 The just man's recompense leads to life, the gains of the wicked, to sin.

Feb. 12

Matthew 21:33-46

33 "Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
34 When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
35 But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned.
36 Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.
37 Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.'
38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
39 They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40 What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
41 They answered him, "He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times."
42 Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes'?
43 Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.
44 ( The one who falls on this stone will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.)"
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them.
46 And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

Proverbs 10:17-32

17 A path to life is his who heeds admonition, but he who disregards reproof goes astray.
18 It is the lips of the liar that conceal hostility; but he who spreads accusations is a fool.
19 Where words are many, sin is not wanting; but he who restrains his lips does well.
20 Like choice silver is the just man's tongue; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21 The just man's lips nourish many, but fools die for want of sense.
22 It is the LORD'S blessing that brings wealth, and no effort can substitute for it.
23 Crime is the entertainment of the fool; so is wisdom for the man of sense.
24 What the wicked man fears will befall him, but the desire of the just will be granted.
25 When the tempest passes, the wicked man is no more; but the just man is established forever.
26 As vinegar to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, is the sluggard to those who use him as a messenger.
27 The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are brief.
28 The hope of the just brings them joy, but the expectation of the wicked comes to nought.
29 The LORD is a stronghold to him who walks honestly, but to evildoers, their downfall.
30 The just man will never be disturbed, but the wicked will not abide in the land.
31 The mouth of the just yields wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32 The lips of the just know how to please, but the mouth of the wicked, how to pervert

Feb. 13

Matthew 22:1-10

1 Jesus again in reply spoke to them in parables, saying,
2 "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.
3 He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.
4 A second time he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast."'
5 Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.
6 The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.
7 The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
8 Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
9 Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.'
10 The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests.

1 Corinthians 1:1-15

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2 to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
5 that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge,
6 as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
8 He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus (Christ).
9 God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by Chloe's people, that there are rivalries among you.
12 I mean that each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Kephas," or "I belong to Christ."
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I give thanks (to God) that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name.

Feb. 14

Matthew 22:11-22

11 But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
12 He said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence.
13 Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'
14 Many are invited, but few are chosen."
15 Then the Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap him in speech.
16 They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion, for you do not regard a person's status.
17 Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?"
18 Knowing their malice, Jesus said, "Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?
19 Show me the coin that pays the census tax." Then they handed him the Roman coin.
20 He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?"
21 They replied, "Caesar's." At that he said to them, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."
22 When they heard this they were amazed, and leaving him they went away.

1 Corinthians 1:16-31

16 (I baptized the household of Stephanas also; beyond that I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.
18 The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside."
20 Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?
21 For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith.
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
26 Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
28 and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something,
29 so that no human being might boast before God.
30 It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
31 so that, as it is written, "Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord."

Feb. 15

Matthew 22:23-46

23 On that day Sadducees approached him, saying that there is no resurrection. They put this question to him,
24 saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies without children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up descendants for his brother.'
25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died and, having no descendants, left his wife to his brother.
26 The same happened with the second and the third, through all seven.
27 Finally the woman died.
28 Now at the resurrection, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had been married to her."
29 Jesus said to them in reply, "You are misled because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God.
30 At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven.
31 And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 32 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."
33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,
35 and one of them [a scholar of the law] tested him by asking,
36 "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
37 He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
38 This is the greatest and the first commandment.
39 The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus questioned them,
42 saying, "What is your opinion about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They replied, "David's."
43 He said to them, "How, then, does David, inspired by the Spirit, call him 'lord,' saying:
44 'The Lord said to my lord, "Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet"'? 45 If David calls him 'lord,' how can he be his son?"
46 No one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.


1 Corinthians 2:1-16

1 When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
4 and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power,
5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak a wisdom to those who are mature, but not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away.
7 Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory,
8 and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written: "What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,"
10 this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
11 Among human beings, who knows what pertains to a person except the spirit of the person that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.
12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.
13 And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.
14 Now the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually.
15 The spiritual person, however, can judge everything but is not subject to judgment by anyone.
16 For "who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Feb. 16

Matthew 23:1-22

1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
3 Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.
4 They tie up heavy burdens (hard to carry) and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.
5 All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
6 They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
7 greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
8 As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.
10 Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah.
11 The greatest among you must be your servant.
12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
14 )
15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'
17 Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred?
18 And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'
19 You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20 One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
21 one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it;
22 one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

1 Brothers, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.
2 I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it. Indeed, you are still not able, even now,
3 for you are still of the flesh. While there is jealousy and rivalry among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving in an ordinary human way?
4 Whenever someone says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human?
5 What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.
7 Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth.
8 The one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
9 For we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it,
11 for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ.
12 If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,
13 the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire (itself) will test the quality of each one's work.
14 If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage.
15 But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.
18 Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: "He catches the wise in their own ruses,"
20 and again: "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain."
21 So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
22 Paul or Apollos or Kephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you,
23 and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

Feb. 17

Matthew 23:23-39

23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. (But) these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
24 Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
26 Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.
27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.
28 Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
30 and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.'
31 Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
32 now fill up what your ancestors measured out!
33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how can you flee from the judgment of Gehenna?
34 Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,
35 so that there may come upon you all the righteous blood shed upon earth, from the righteous blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
36 Amen, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!
38 Behold, your house will be abandoned, desolate.
39 I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"


1 Corinthians 4:1-21

1 Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
3 It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself;
4 I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord.
5 Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.
6 I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written, so that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over against another.
7 Who confers distinction upon you? What do you possess that you have not received? But if you have received it, why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?
8 You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich; you have become kings without us! Indeed, I wish that you had become kings, so that we also might become kings with you.
9 For as I see it, God has exhibited us apostles as the last of all, like people sentenced to death, since we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and human beings alike.
10 We are fools on Christ's account, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are held in honor, but we in disrepute.
11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homeless
12 and we toil, working with our own hands. When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
13 when slandered, we respond gently. We have become like the world's rubbish, the scum of all, to this very moment.
14 I am writing you this not to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
15 Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
16 Therefore, I urge you, be imitators of me.
17 For this reason I am sending you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord; he will remind you of my ways in Christ (Jesus), just as I teach them everywhere in every church.
18 Some have become inflated with pride, as if I were not coming to you.
19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I shall ascertain not the talk of these inflated people but their power.
20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
21 Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a gentle spirit?

Feb. 18

Matthew 24:1-14

1 Jesus left the temple area and was going away, when his disciples approached him to point out the temple buildings.
2 He said to them in reply, "You see all these things, do you not? Amen, I say to you, there will not be left here a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."
3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, "Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be of your coming, and of the end of the age?"
4 Jesus said to them in reply, "See that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah,' and they will deceive many.
6 You will hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place.
8 All these are the beginning of the labor pains.
9 Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name.
10 And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another.
11 Many false prophets will arise and deceive many;
12 and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold.
13 But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

1 It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans--a man living with his father's wife.
2 And you are inflated with pride. Should you not rather have been sorrowful? The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst.
3 I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as if present, pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed,
4 in the name of (our) Lord Jesus: when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus,
5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
7 Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people,
10 not at all referring to the immoral of this world or the greedy and robbers or idolaters; for you would then have to leave the world.
11 But I now write to you not to associate with anyone named a brother, if he is immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a robber, not even to eat with such a person.
12 For why should I be judging outsiders? Is it not your business to judge those within?
13 God will judge those outside. "Purge the evil person from your midst."

Feb. 19

Matthew 24:15-28

15 "When you see the desolating abomination spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
16 then those in Judea must flee to the mountains,
17 a person on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house,
18 a person in the field must not return to get his cloak.
19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days.
20 Pray that your flight not be in winter or on the sabbath,
21 for at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will be.
22 And if those days had not been shortened, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect they will be shortened.
23 If anyone says to you then, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it.
24 False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect.
25 Behold, I have told it to you beforehand.
26 So if they say to you, 'He is in the desert,' do not go out there; if they say, 'He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.
27 For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

1 Corinthians 6:1-10

1 How can any one of you with a case against another dare to bring it to the unjust for judgment instead of to the holy ones?
2 Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world? If the world is to be judged by you, are you unqualified for the lowest law courts?
3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? Then why not everyday matters?
4 If, therefore, you have courts for everyday matters, do you seat as judges people of no standing in the church?
5 I say this to shame you. Can it be that there is not one among you wise enough to be able to settle a case between brothers?
6 But rather brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers?
7 Now indeed (then) it is, in any case, a failure on your part that you have lawsuits against one another. Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather let yourselves be cheated?
8 Instead, you inflict injustice and cheat, and this to brothers.
9 Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites
10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Feb. 20

Matthew 24:29-51

29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he will send out his angels with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
32 "Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.
33 In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, at the gates.
34 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
37 For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
38 In (those) days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
39 They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be (also) at the coming of the Son of Man.
40 Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.
41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.
42 Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
43 Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.
44 So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
45 "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
46 Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
47 Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,'
49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards,
50 the servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
51 and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

1 Corinthians 6:11-20

11 That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
12 "Everything is lawful for me," but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is lawful for me," but I will not let myself be dominated by anything.
13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food," but God will do away with both the one and the other. The body, however, is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body;
14 God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take Christ's members and make them the members of a prostitute? Of course not!
16 (Or) do you not know that anyone who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For "the two," it says, "will become one flesh."
17 But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
18 Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body.
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
20 For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.

Feb. 21

Matthew 25:1-13

1 "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them,
4 but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
5 Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 At midnight, there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
7 Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
9 But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'
10 While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.
11 Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
12 But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'
13 Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.


1 Corinthians 7:1-17

1 Now in regard to the matters about which you wrote: "It is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman,"
2 but because of cases of immorality every man should have his own wife, and every woman her own husband.
3 The husband should fulfill his duty toward his wife, and likewise the wife toward her husband.
4 A wife does not have authority over her own body, but rather her husband, and similarly a husband does not have authority over his own body, but rather his wife.
5 Do not deprive each other, except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, to be free for prayer, but then return to one another, so that Satan may not tempt you through your lack of self-control.
6 This I say by way of concession, however, not as a command.
7 Indeed, I wish everyone to be as I am, but each has a particular gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.
8 Now to the unmarried and to widows, I say: it is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do,
9 but if they cannot exercise self-control they should marry, for it is better to marry than to be on fire.
10 To the married, however, I give this instruction (not I, but the Lord): a wife should not separate from her husband
11 --and if she does separate she must either remain single or become reconciled to her husband--and a husband should not divorce his wife.
12 To the rest I say (not the Lord): if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she is willing to go on living with him, he should not divorce her;
13 and if any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he is willing to go on living with her, she should not divorce her husband.
14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy through the brother. Otherwise your children would be unclean, whereas in fact they are holy.
15 If the unbeliever separates, however, let him separate. The brother or sister is not bound in such cases; God has called you to peace.
16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband; or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
17 Only, everyone should live as the Lord has assigned, just as God called each one. I give this order in all the churches.

Feb. 22

Matthew 25:14-30

14 "It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
15 To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately
16 the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five.
17 Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
18 But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.
19 After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
20 The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.'
21 His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.'
22 (Then) the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.'
23 His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.'
24 Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter;
25 so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.'
26 His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?
27 Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
28 Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
29 For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'


1 Corinthians 7:18-40

18 Was someone called after he had been circumcised? He should not try to undo his circumcision. Was an uncircumcised person called? He should not be circumcised.
19 Circumcision means nothing, and uncircumcision means nothing; what matters is keeping God's commandments.
20 Everyone should remain in the state in which he was called.
21 Were you a slave when you were called? Do not be concerned but, even if you can gain your freedom, make the most of it.
22 For the slave called in the Lord is a freed person in the Lord, just as the free person who has been called is a slave of Christ.
23 You have been purchased at a price. Do not become slaves to human beings.
24 Brothers, everyone should continue before God in the state in which he was called.
25 Now in regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
26 So this is what I think best because of the present distress: that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is.
27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a separation. Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife.
28 If you marry, however, you do not sin, nor does an unmarried woman sin if she marries; but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life, and I would like to spare you that.
29 I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
30 those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning,
31 those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.
32 I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord.
33 But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife,
34 and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit. A married woman, on the other hand, is anxious about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35 I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to impose a restraint upon you, but for the sake of propriety and adherence to the Lord without distraction.
36 If anyone thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, and if a critical moment has come and so it has to be, let him do as he wishes. He is committing no sin; let them get married.
37 The one who stands firm in his resolve, however, who is not under compulsion but has power over his own will, and has made up his mind to keep his virgin, will be doing well.
38 So then, the one who marries his virgin does well; the one who does not marry her will do better.
39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whomever she wishes, provided that it be in the Lord.
40 She is more blessed, though, in my opinion, if she remains as she is, and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

Feb. 23

Matthew 25:31-46

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
40 And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41 Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43 a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
44 Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'
45 He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'
46 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."


1 Corinthians 8:1-13

1 Now in regard to meat sacrificed to idols: we realize that "all of us have knowledge"; knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up.
2 If anyone supposes he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.
3 But if one loves God, one is known by him.
4 So about the eating of meat sacrificed to idols: we know that "there is no idol in the world," and that "there is no God but one."
5 Indeed, even though there are so-called gods in heaven and on earth (there are, to be sure, many "gods" and many "lords"),
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things are and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and through whom we exist.
7 But not all have this knowledge. There are some who have been so used to idolatry up until now that, when they eat meat sacrificed to idols, their conscience, which is weak, is defiled.
8 Now food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, nor are we better off if we do.
9 But make sure that this liberty of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak.
10 If someone sees you, with your knowledge, reclining at table in the temple of an idol, may not his conscience too, weak as it is, be "built up" to eat the meat sacrificed to idols?
11 Thus through your knowledge, the weak person is brought to destruction, the brother for whom Christ died.
12 When you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their consciences, weak as they are, you are sinning against Christ.
13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause my brother to sin.

Feb. 24

Matthew 26:1-16

1 When Jesus finished all these words, he said to his disciples,
2 "You know that in two days' time it will be Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
4 and they consulted together to arrest Jesus by treachery and put him to death.
5 But they said, "Not during the festival, that there may not be a riot among the people."
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of costly perfumed oil, and poured it on his head while he was reclining at table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and said, "Why this waste?
9 It could have been sold for much, and the money given to the poor."
10 Since Jesus knew this, he said to them, "Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me.
11 The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me.
12 In pouring this perfumed oil upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.
13 Amen, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be spoken of, in memory of her."
14 Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscar iot, went to the chief priests
15 and said, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver,
16 and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

1 Corinthians 9:1-14

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2 Although I may not be an apostle for others, certainly I am for you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 My defense against those who would pass judgment on me is this.
4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink?
5 Do we not have the right to take along a Christian wife, as do the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Kephas?
6 Or is it only myself and Barnabas who do not have the right not to work?
7 Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating its produce? Or who shepherds a flock without using some of the milk from the flock?
8 Am I saying this on human authority, or does not the law also speak of these things?
9 It is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is God concerned about oxen,
10 or is he not really speaking for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope, and the thresher in hope of receiving a share.
11 If we have sown spiritual seed for you, is it a great thing that we reap a material harvest from you?
12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we still more? Yet we have not used this right. On the contrary, we endure everything so as not to place an obstacle to the gospel of Christ.
13 Do you not know that those who perform the temple services eat (what) belongs to the temple, and those who minister at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?
14 In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the gospel should live by the gospel.