Evening Devotion

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
¹ Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
² It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
³ Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.
⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.
⁵ Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (ESV)

A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song.
¹ On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
² the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
³ Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. Selah
⁴ Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush— “This one was born there,” they say.
⁵ And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”; for the Most High himself will establish her.
⁶ The LORD records as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah
⁷ Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.” (ESV)

¹ Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
² The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
³ He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
⁴ He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
⁵ Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
⁶ The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.
⁷ Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!
⁸ He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹ He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.
¹⁰ His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
¹¹ but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
¹² Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
¹³ For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.
¹⁴ He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
¹⁵ He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
¹⁶ He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.
¹⁷ He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold?
¹⁸ He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
¹⁹ He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel.
²⁰ He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD!

¹ Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
² Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!
³ Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!
⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
⁵ Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.
⁶ And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps,
⁸ fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!
⁹ Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
¹⁰ Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!
¹¹ Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
¹² Young men and maidens together, old men and children!
¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.
¹⁴ He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the LORD! (ESV)

¹⁵ When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”
¹⁶ But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many.
¹⁷ And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
¹⁸ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’
¹⁹ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’
²⁰ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’
²¹ So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’
²² And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’
²³ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.
²⁴ For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’” (ESV)

¹ And the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
² You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land.
³ But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
⁴ Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.
⁵ The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”
⁶ Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the LORD commanded them.
⁷ Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
⁸ Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’”
¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.
¹¹ Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.
¹² For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
¹³ Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
¹⁴ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go.
¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water, and stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him. Take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent.
¹⁶ And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed.
¹⁷ Thus says the LORD, “By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.
¹⁸ The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’”
¹⁹ And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”
²⁰ Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood.
²¹ And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
²² But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
²³ Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart.
²⁴ And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.
²⁵ Seven full days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile. (ESV)

¹ When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
² And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.
³ And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
⁴ And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.
⁵ And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
⁶ And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
⁸ And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. [Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.] [[
⁹ Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
¹¹ But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
¹² After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.
¹³ And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
¹⁴ Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
¹⁵ And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
¹⁸ they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
¹⁹ So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
²⁰ And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]] (ESV)

²⁷ And Balak said to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.”
²⁸ So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert.
²⁹ And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
³⁰ And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

¹ When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness.
² And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him,
³ and he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
⁴ the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:
⁵ How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel!
⁶ Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters.
⁷ Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
⁸ God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows.
⁹ He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.”
¹⁰ And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times.
¹¹ Therefore now flee to your own place. I said, ‘I will certainly honor you,’ but the LORD has held you back from honor.”
¹² And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me,
¹³ ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the LORD speaks, that will I speak’?
¹⁴ And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”
¹⁵ And he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
¹⁶ the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:
¹⁷ I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
¹⁸ Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly.
¹⁹ And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!”
²⁰ Then he looked on Amalek and took up his discourse and said, “Amalek was the first among the nations, but its end is utter destruction.”
²¹ And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said, “Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock.
²² Nevertheless, Kain shall be burned when Asshur takes you away captive.”
²³ And he took up his discourse and said, “Alas, who shall live when God does this?
²⁴ But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he too shall come to utter destruction.”
²⁵ Then Balaam rose and went back to his place. And Balak also went his way.

¹ While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab.
² These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.
³ So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
⁴ And the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the LORD, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.”
⁵ And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”
⁶ And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
⁷ When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand
⁸ and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped.
⁹ Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.
¹⁰ And the LORD said to Moses,
¹¹ “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.
¹² Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace,
¹³ and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’”
¹⁴ The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites.
¹⁵ And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father’s house in Midian.
¹⁶ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁷ “Harass the Midianites and strike them down,
¹⁸ for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.” (ESV)

¹¹ Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.
¹² As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.
¹³ And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
¹⁴ Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
¹⁶ Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”
¹⁷ And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
¹⁸ The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John,
¹⁹ calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
²⁰ And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’”
²¹ In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.
²² And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.
²³ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
²⁴ When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
²⁵ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts.
²⁶ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
²⁷ This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
²⁸ I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
²⁹ (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John,
³⁰ but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
³¹ “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?
³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
³³ For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’
³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
³⁵ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.” (ESV)

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.
¹ O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!
² For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.
³ There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no 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 stink and fester because of my foolishness,
⁶ I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning.
⁷ For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.
⁸ I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.
⁹ O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.
¹⁰ My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
¹¹ My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off. (ESV)

¹ So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:
² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
⁵ Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
¹¹ To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
¹² By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.
¹³ She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.
¹⁴ Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

¹ Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
² May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
¹² Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.
¹³ I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,
¹⁴ since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.
¹⁵ And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
¹⁷ For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,”
¹⁸ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
¹⁹ And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
²⁰ knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.
²¹ For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
¹ But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
³ And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
⁵ if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
⁶ if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
⁷ and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked
⁸ (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);
⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, (ESV)