Tuesday, April 6

1O Lord my God, I will glorify You; I will sing a hymn to Your name, for You have done wonderful things, an ancient and true counsel. So be it, O Lord.

2For You made cities into a mound; You made the foundations of their strong cities fall. The city of the ungodly shall not be built forever.

3Therefore the poor people will bless You, and the cities of wronged people will praise You.

4For You were a helper to every humbled city, and a protection to those who were disheartened by reason of poverty. You will deliver them from evil men, and be a shelter of the thirsty and a breath of life to the wronged.

5They will bless You as discouraged people, thirsting in Zion because of ungodly men to whom You delivered us.

6Then the Lord of hosts shall do this to all the nations on this mountain. They shall drink in gladness; they shall drink wine; they shall anoint themselves with ointment

7on this mountain. Deliver all these things to the nations, for this is the counsel for all the nations.

8Death prevailed and swallowed them, but again God wiped away every tear from every face; He took away the disgrace of His people from all the earth; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

9Then it will be said in that day, 'Behold, this is our God, in whom we hoped and rejoiced exceedingly; and we shall be glad in His salvation.'

8Then God spoke to Noah and his sons with him, saying,

9'Behold, I am establishing My covenant with you and with your seed after you,

10and every living creature with you: the birds, the cattle, and all the wild animals of the earth, of all that came out of the ark with you.

11Thus I will establish My covenant with you, and never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; nor shall there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.'

12Then the Lord God said to Noah, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you, and every living creature with you, for perpetual generations:

13I am setting My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

14It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;

15and I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16My rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will certainly remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh on the earth.'

17Again God said to Noah, 'This is the sign of the covenant I established between Me and all flesh on the earth.'

8The mouth of a man of understanding is praised by a man, But the slothful of heart are treated with contempt.

9It is better for a man in dishonor to serve himself Than for him to surround himself with honor while in need of bread.

10A righteous man has compassion on the lives of his cattle, But the affections of the ungodly are without mercy.

11He who works his own land will be satisfied with bread, But those who pursue vain things are in need of discernment.

12He who is gladdened by wines in passing his time Shall leave dishonor in his own strongholds.

13The desires of the ungodly are evil, But the roots of the godly are in strongholds.

14By the sin of his lips a sinner falls into snares, But a righteous man escapes from them.

15He whose looks are gentle will show mercy, But he who contends in the gates will afflict souls.

16By the fruits of his mouth, the soul of a man will be filled with good things, And the recompense of his lips will be given to him.

17The ways of undiscerning men are right in their own eyes, But a wise man hearkens to counsels.

18A man without discernment immediately proclaims his wrath, But an astute man hides his own dishonor.

19A righteous man declares his honesty openly, But the witness of the unrighteous is deceitful.

20There are those who wound with a sword as they speak, But the tongues of the wise heal.

21Truthful lips establish a testimony, But a hasty witness has an unrighteous tongue.

22There is deceit in the heart of a man who devises evil things, But those who counsel peace shall be glad.

1But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, And no torture will ever touch them.

2In the eyes of the undiscerning they seemed to have died, And their departure was considered to be misfortune,

3And their passage from us to be their destruction; But they are at peace.

4For though in man's view they were punished, Their hope is full of immortality.

5Though chastened in a few things, Great kindness will be shown them, For God tested them and found them worthy of Himself.

6He tested them like gold in a furnace And accepted them as a whole burnt offering.

7In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, And they will run about like sparks through straw.

8They will judge nations and rule over peoples, And the Lord shall reign over them unto the ages.

9Those who trust in Him will understand truth, And the faithful shall continue with Him in love, Because grace and mercy are upon His elect.

15But the righteous live forever, And their reward is with the Lord; And their care is by the Most High.

16Therefore they shall receive a kingly dwelling of dignity And a crown of beauty from the hand of the Lord, Because He will shelter them with His right hand And protect them with His arm.

17He will take His zeal as His full armor And will turn His creation into weapons against His enemies.

18He will wear righteousness as a breastplate And put on impartial judgment as a helmet.

19He will take holiness as an unconquerable shield

20And sharpen His relentless wrath for a sword; And creation will fight with Him against the senseless.

21Well-aimed flashes of lightning will strike And leap to their object as from a well-drawn bow of clouds;

22And hailstones full of anger will be hurled As from an engine of war. The water of the sea will be vexed with them, And the rivers will wash over them severely.

23A powerful wind will oppose them, And like a storm it will winnow them away. Lawlessness will lay waste all the earth, And wrongdoing will overturn the thrones of rulers.

1Listen therefore, O kings, and understand; Learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.

2Give ear, you that rule over multitudes, And take pride in yourself over a multitude of nations.

3For power was given to you from the Lord, And your lordship from the Most High, Who will make a careful search of your works And examine closely your plans.

7But though a righteous man may die before his time, He shall be at rest.

8For old age is not honored for its length of existence, Nor measured by its number of years;

9But discernment is gray hair for mankind, And a spotless life is the maturity of old age.

10There was once a man pleasing to God and loved by Him, And while living among sinners he was taken up.

11He was caught up lest evil change his understanding Or deceit deceive his soul.

12For envy arising from lack of judgment obscures what is good, And a whirling of desire undermines an innocent heart.

13He was made perfect, For in a short time he fulfilled long years,

14For his soul was pleasing to the Lord; Therefore, He took him early from the midst of evil. Yet peoples saw this but did not understand, Nor take such a thing to heart,

15That the Lord's grace and mercy are with His elect And that He watches over His holy ones.