Thursday, December 23, 2010
Psalm 32
Psalm 32 (Amplified Bible)
Psalm 32
[A Psalm of David.] A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem.
1BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, to be envied) is he who has forgiveness of his transgression continually exercised upon him, whose sin is covered. 2Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit.(A)3When I kept silence [before I confessed], my bones wasted away through my groaning all the day long.
4For day and night Your hand [of displeasure] was heavy upon me; my moisture was turned into the drought of summer. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
5I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord [continually unfolding the past till all is told]--then You [instantly] forgave me the guilt and iniquity of my sin. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
6For this [forgiveness] let everyone who is godly pray--pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely when the great waters [of trial] overflow, they shall not reach [the spirit in] him.
7You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
8I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9Be not like the horse or the mule, which lack understanding, which must have their mouths held firm with bit and bridle, or else they will not come with you.
10Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on the Lord shall be compassed about with mercy and with loving-kindness.
11Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you [uncompromisingly] righteous [you who are upright and in right standing with Him]; shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Cross references:
Proverb 23
Proverbs 23 (Amplified Bible)
Proverbs 23
1WHEN YOU sit down to eat with a ruler, consider who and what are before you; 2For you will put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to desire.3Be not desirous of his dainties, for it is deceitful food [offered with questionable motives].
4Weary not yourself to be rich; cease from your own [human] wisdom.(A)
5Will you set your eyes upon wealth, when [suddenly] it is gone? For riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
6Eat not the bread of him who has a hard, grudging, and envious eye, neither desire his dainty foods;
7For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you [but is grudging the cost].
8The morsel which you have eaten you will vomit up, and your complimentary words will be wasted.
9Speak not in the ears of a [self-confident] fool, for he will despise the [godly] Wisdom of your words.(B)
10Remove not the ancient landmark and enter not into the fields of the fatherless,(C)
11For their Redeemer is mighty; He will plead their cause against you.
12Apply your mind to instruction and correction and your ears to words of knowledge.
13Withhold not discipline from the child; for if you strike and punish him with the [reedlike] rod, he will not die.
14You shall whip him with the rod and deliver his life from Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead).
15My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will be glad, even mine;
16Yes, my heart will rejoice when your lips speak right things.
17Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord all the day long.
18For surely there is a latter end [a future and a reward], and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.
19Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your mind in the way [of the Lord].
20Do not associate with winebibbers; be not among them nor among gluttonous eaters of meat,(D)
21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
22Hearken to your father, who begot you, and despise not your mother when she is old.
23Buy the truth and sell it not; not only that, but also get discernment and judgment, instruction and understanding.
24The father of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) shall greatly rejoice, and he who becomes the father of a wise child shall have joy in him.
25Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice.
26My son, give me your heart and let your eyes observe and delight in my ways,
27For a harlot is a deep ditch, and a loose woman is a narrow pit.
28She also lies in wait as a robber or as one waits for prey, and she increases the treacherous among men.
29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness and dimness of eyes?
30Those who tarry long at the wine, those who go to seek and try mixed wine.(E)
31Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the wineglass, when it goes down smoothly.
32At the last it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.
33[Under the influence of wine] your eyes will behold strange things [and loose women] and your mind will utter things turned the wrong way [untrue, incorrect, and petulant].
34Yes, you will be [as unsteady] as he who lies down in the midst of the sea, and [as open to disaster] as he who lies upon the top of a mast.
35You will say, They struck me, but I was not hurt! They beat me [as with a hammer], but I did not feel it! When shall I awake? I will crave and seek more wine again [and escape reality].
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
psalm 23
Psalm 23 (Amplified Bible)
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. 2He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.(A)3He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake.
4Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with [a]oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.
6Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.
Footnotes:
- Psalm 23:5 It is difficult for those living in a temperate climate to appreciate, but it was customary in hot climates to anoint the body with oil to protect it from excessive perspiration. When mixed with perfume, the oil imparted a delightfully refreshing and invigorating sensation. Athletes anointed their bodies as a matter of course before running a race. As the body, therefore, anointed with oil was refreshed, invigorated, and better fitted for action, so the Lord would anoint His "sheep" with the Holy Spirit, Whom oil symbolizes, to fit them to engage more freely in His service and run in the way He directs--in heavenly fellowship with Him.
Cross references:
Proverbs 22
Proverbs 22 (Amplified Bible)
Proverbs 22
1A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold. 2The rich and poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all.(A)3A prudent man sees the evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished [with suffering].
4The reward of humility and the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.
5Thorns and snares are in the way of the obstinate and willful; he who guards himself will be far from them.
6Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.(B)
7The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
8He who sows iniquity will reap calamity and futility, and the rod of his wrath [with which he smites others] will fail.
9He who has a bountiful eye shall be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.(C)
10Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out; yes, strife and abuse will cease.
11He who loves purity and the pure in heart and who is gracious in speech--because of the grace of his lips will he have the king for his friend.
12The eyes of the Lord keep guard over knowledge and him who has it, but He overthrows the words of the treacherous.
13The sluggard says, There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!
14The mouth of a loose woman is a deep pit [for ensnaring wild animals]; he with whom the Lord is indignant and who is abhorrent to Him will fall into it.
15Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.
16He who oppresses the poor to get gain for himself and he who gives to the rich--both will surely come to want.
17Listen (consent and submit) to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge;
18For it will be pleasant if you keep them in your mind [believing them]; your lips will be accustomed to [confessing] them.
19So that your trust (belief, reliance, support, and confidence) may be in the Lord, I have made known these things to you today, even to you.
20Have I not written to you [long ago] excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
21To make you know the certainty of the words of truth, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?(D)
22Rob not the poor [being tempted by their helplessness], neither oppress the afflicted at the gate [where the city court is held],(E)
23For the Lord will plead their cause and deprive of life those who deprive [the poor or afflicted].(F)
24Make no friendships with a man given to anger, and with a wrathful man do not associate,
25Lest you learn his ways and get yourself into a snare.
26Be not one of those who strike hands and pledge themselves, or of those who become security for another's debts.
27If you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take your bed from under you?
28Remove not the ancient landmark which your fathers have set up.
29Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Psalm 16
Psalm 16 (Amplified Bible)
Psalm 16
A Poem of David; [probably] intended to record memorable thoughts.
1KEEP and protect me, O God, for in You I have found refuge, and in You do I put my trust and hide myself. 2I say to the Lord, You are my Lord; I have no good beside or beyond You.3As for the godly (the saints) who are in the land, they are the excellent, the noble, and the glorious, in whom is all my delight.
4Their sorrows shall be multiplied who choose another god; their drink offerings of blood will I not offer or take their names upon my lips.
5The Lord is my chosen and assigned portion, my cup; You hold and maintain my lot.
6The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good heritage.
7I will bless the Lord, Who has given me counsel; yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.
8I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9Therefore my heart is glad and my glory [my inner self] rejoices; my body too shall rest and confidently dwell in safety,
10For You will not abandon me to Sheol (the place of the dead), neither will You suffer Your holy one [Holy One] to see corruption.(A)
11You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.(B)
Cross references:
Proverb 21
Proverbs 21 (Amplified Bible)
Proverbs 21
1THE KING'S heart is in the hand of the Lord, as are the watercourses; He turns it whichever way He wills. 2Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs and tries the hearts.(A)3To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.(B)
4Haughtiness of eyes and a proud heart, even the tillage of the wicked or the lamp [of joy] to them [whatever it may be], are sin [in the eyes of God].
5The thoughts of the [steadily] diligent tend only to plenteousness, but everyone who is impatient and hasty hastens only to want.
6Securing treasures by a lying tongue is a vapor driven to and fro; those who seek them seek death.
7The violence of the wicked shall sweep them away, because they refuse to do justice.
8The way of the guilty is exceedingly crooked, but as for the pure, his work is right and his conduct is straight.
9It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop [on the flat oriental roof, exposed to all kinds of weather] than in a house shared with a nagging, quarrelsome, and faultfinding woman.
10The soul or life of the wicked craves and seeks evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.(C)
11When the scoffer is punished, the fool gets a lesson in being wise; but men of [godly] Wisdom and good sense learn by being instructed.
12The [uncompromisingly] righteous man considers well the house of the wicked--how the wicked are cast down to ruin.
13Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor will cry out himself and not be heard.(D)
14A gift in secret pacifies and turns away anger, and a bribe in the lap, strong wrath.
15When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous (the upright, in right standing with God), but to the evildoers it is dismay, calamity, and ruin.
16A man who wanders out of the way of understanding shall abide in the congregation of the spirits (of the dead).
17He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18The wicked become a ransom for the [uncompromisingly] righteous, and the treacherous for the upright [because the wicked themselves fall into the traps and pits they have dug for the good].
19It is better to dwell in a desert land than with a contentious woman and with vexation.
20There are precious treasures and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a self-confident and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.
21He who earnestly seeks after and craves righteousness, mercy, and loving-kindness will find life in addition to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) and honor.(E)
22A wise man scales the city walls of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from troubles.(F)
24The proud and haughty man--Scoffer is his name--deals and acts with overbearing pride.
25The desire of the slothful kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
26He covets greedily all the day long, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous gives and does not withhold.(G)
27The sacrifice of the wicked is exceedingly disgusting and abhorrent [to the Lord]--how much more when he brings it with evil intention?
28A false witness will perish, but the word of a man who hears attentively will endure and go unchallenged.
29A wicked man puts on the bold, unfeeling face [of guilt], but as for the upright, he considers, directs, and establishes his way [with the confidence of integrity].
30There is no [human] wisdom or understanding or counsel [that can prevail] against the Lord.
31The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance and victory are of the Lord.
Cross references:
Monday, December 20, 2010
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