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Wed 2023-07-19 Numbers22 Psalms62 Psalms63 Isaiah11 Isaiah12 James5
Numbers 22.
22:1 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.
22:2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites,
22:3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.
22:4 The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field." So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time,
22:5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River, in his native land. Balak said: "A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.
22:6 Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed."
22:7 The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.
22:8 "Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I will bring you back the answer the LORD gives me." So the Moabite princes stayed with him.
22:9 God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?"
22:10 Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message:
22:11 'A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.'"
22:12 But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed."
22:13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you."
22:14 So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us."
22:15 Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first.
22:16 They came to Balaam and said: "This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me,
22:17 because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me."
22:18 But Balaam answered them, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the LORD my God.
22:19 Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the LORD will tell me."
22:20 That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you."
22:21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.
22:22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
22:23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.
22:24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides.
22:25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again.
22:26 Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left.
22:27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff.
22:28 Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"
22:29 Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."
22:30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" "No," he said.
22:31 Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.
22:32 The angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.
22:33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her."
22:34 Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back."
22:35 The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
22:36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory.
22:37 Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn't you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?"
22:38 "Well, I have come to you now," Balaam replied. "But can I say just anything? I must speak only what God puts in my mouth."
22:39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth.
22:40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the princes who were with him.
22:41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he saw part of the people.
Psalms 62.
62:1 My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
62:2 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
62:3 How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down--this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
62:4 They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. Selah
62:5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
62:6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
62:7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
62:8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah
62:9 Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.
62:10 Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
62:11 One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong,
62:12 and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.
Psalms 63.
63:1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
63:2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
63:3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
63:4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
63:5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
63:6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.
63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
63:8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
63:9 They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.
63:10 They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.
63:11 But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God's name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
Isaiah 11.
11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--
11:3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
11:4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
11:5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
11:7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
11:8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.
11:9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
11:10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
11:11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.
11:12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.
11:13 Ephraim's jealousy will vanish, and Judah's enemies will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.
11:14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will lay hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
11:15 The LORD will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that men can cross over in sandals.
11:16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.
Isaiah 12.
12:1 In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me.
12:2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
12:3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
12:4 In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.
12:5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.
12:6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."
James 5.
5:1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.
5:2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.
5:3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
5:4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
5:5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
5:6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
5:7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.
5:8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.
5:9 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
5:10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
5:11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.
5:13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.
5:14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
5:17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
5:18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
5:19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,