Thursday, 25 July

1.   << A Psalm of David.>> Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2.   For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. 3.   Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4.   Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5.   Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6.   He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 7.   Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8.   Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret–– it only causes harm. 9.   For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. 10.   For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more ; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more . 11.   But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 12.   The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13.   The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. 14.   The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. 15.   Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. 16.   A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked. 17.   For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholds the righteous. 18.   The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. 19.   They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20.   But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. 21.   The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. 22.   For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. 23.   The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. 24.   Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. 25.   I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. 26.   He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. 27.   Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. 28.   For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. 29.   The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. 30.   The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. 31.   The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. 32.   The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. 33.   The LORD will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged. 34.   Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it . 35.   I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. 36.   Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more ; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. 37.   Mark the blameless man , and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. 38.   But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39.   But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40.   And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.

1.   <> O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! 0.   2For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down. 3.   There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin. 4.   For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. 5.   My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness. 6.   I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. 7.   For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh. 8.   I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart. 9.   Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. 10.   My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me. 11.   My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off. 12.   Those also who seek my life lay snares for me ; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long. 13.   But I, like a deaf man , do not hear; And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. 14.   Thus I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth is no response. 15.   For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. 16.   For I said, " Hear me , lest they rejoice over me, Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me." 17.   For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. 18.   For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin. 19.   But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied. 20.   Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good. 21.   Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me! 22.   Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

1.   <> I said, "I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me." 2.   I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up. 3.   My heart was hot within me; While I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue: 4.   "LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am . 5.   Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah 6.   Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches , And does not know who will gather them. 7.   "And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. 8.   Deliver me from all my transgressions; Do not make me the reproach of the foolish. 9.   I was mute, I did not open my mouth, Because it was You who did it . 10.   Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. 11.   When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor. Selah 12.   "Hear my prayer, O LORD, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were . 13.   Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, Before I go away and am no more."

1.   Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2.   not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3.   Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4.   who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5.   Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6.   And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7.   For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8.   And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9.   The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10.   and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11.   And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12.   that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 13.   But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14.   to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15.   Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. 16.   Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17.   comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.