Today's Readings: July 17

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

[1] I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
[2] In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
[3] When I remember God, I moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah


[4] You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
[5] I consider the days of old,
the years long ago.
[6] I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
let me meditate in my heart.”
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
[7] “Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
[8] Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
[9] Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah


[10] Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”


[11] I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
[12] I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
[13] Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
[14] You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
[15] You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah


[16] When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.
[17] The clouds poured out water;
the skies gave forth thunder;
your arrows flashed on every side.
[18] The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
[19] Your way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.
[20] You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

[1] In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting before me, the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there. [2] Then I looked, and behold, a form that had the appearance of a man. Below what appeared to be his waist was fire, and above his waist was something like the appearance of brightness, like gleaming metal. [3] He put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. [4] And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the valley.

[5] Then he said to me, “Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this image of jealousy. [6] And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.”

[7] And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. [8] Then he said to me, “Son of man, dig in the wall.” So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. [9] And he said to me, “Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.” [10] So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. [11] And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. [12] Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.’” [13] He said also to me, “You will see still greater abominations that they commit.”

[14] Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. [15] Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these.”

[16] And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east. [17] Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their nose. [18] Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

[1] Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, “Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.” [2] And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

[3] Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. [4] And the LORD said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” [5] And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. [6] Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house. [7] Then he said to them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out.” So they went out and struck in the city. [8] And while they were striking, and I was left alone, I fell upon my face, and cried, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

[9] Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see.’ [10] As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”

[11] And behold, the man clothed in linen, with the writing case at his waist, brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded me.”

[1] The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
[2] Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.
[3] The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
[4] A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
[5] He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
[6] Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
[7] The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
[8] The wise of heart will receive commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
[9] Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
[10] Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
[11] The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
[12] Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.
[13] On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.
[14] The wise lay up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
[15] A rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
[16] The wage of the righteous leads to life,
the gain of the wicked to sin.
[17] Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,
but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
[18] The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever utters slander is a fool.
[19] When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
[20] The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
[21] The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
[22] The blessing of the LORD makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow with it.
[23] Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,
but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
[24] What the wicked dreads will come upon him,
but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
[25] When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
but the righteous is established forever.
[26] Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is the sluggard to those who send him.
[27] The fear of the LORD prolongs life,
but the years of the wicked will be short.
[28] The hope of the righteous brings joy,
but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
[29] The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the blameless,
but destruction to evildoers.
[30] The righteous will never be removed,
but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
[31] The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
[32] The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.

[1] Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. [2] Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. [3] For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, [4] for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. [5] Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. [6] For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. [7] Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

[8] Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. [9] For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” [10] Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

[11] Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. [12] The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. [13] Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. [14] But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.