Morning Devotion

¹ Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
³ For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
⁷ For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,
⁸ do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
⁹ when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
¹⁰ For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.”
¹¹ Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.” (ESV)

A Maskil of Asaph.
¹ O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
² Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.
³ Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!
⁴ Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their own signs for signs.
⁵ They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees.
⁶ And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
⁷ They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground.
⁸ They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
⁹ We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.
¹⁰ How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
¹¹ Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them!
¹² Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
¹³ You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters.
¹⁴ You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
¹⁵ You split open springs and brooks; you dried up ever-flowing streams.
¹⁶ Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.
¹⁷ You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.
¹⁸ Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name.
¹⁹ Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever.
²⁰ Have regard for the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
²¹ Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame; let the poor and needy praise your name.
²² Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!
²³ Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually! (ESV)

A Song of Ascents.
¹ In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.
² Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.
³ What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?
⁴ A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!
⁵ Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
⁶ Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.
⁷ I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!

A Song of Ascents.
¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
² My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
³ He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
⁵ The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
⁷ The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
⁸ The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. (ESV)

¹ Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
² The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
³ The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.
⁴ “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
⁵ The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.
⁶ Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.
⁷ In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.
⁸ At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
⁹ The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
¹⁰ You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
¹¹ “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (ESV)

²⁸ It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
²⁹ There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt,
³⁰ but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land,
³¹ and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.
³² And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.
³³ Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
³⁴ Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years.
³⁵ And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.
³⁶ That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”
³⁷ This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.
³⁸ And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are.
⁴⁰ You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”
⁴¹ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
⁴² Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck.
⁴³ And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.
⁴⁴ Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
⁴⁵ And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.
⁴⁷ During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly,
⁴⁸ and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it.
⁴⁹ And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.
⁵⁰ Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him.
⁵¹ Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.”
⁵² The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
⁵³ The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end,
⁵⁴ and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
⁵⁵ When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”
⁵⁶ So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
⁵⁷ Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth. (ESV)

²⁰ As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.
²¹ And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”
²² And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.
²³ Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.
²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
²⁵ And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
²⁷ And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him,
²⁸ and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”
²⁹ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
³⁰ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”
³¹ And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
³² But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.
³³ So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (ESV)

¹⁰ “On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their companies, the chief of the people of Reuben being Elizur the son of Shedeur,
¹¹ his company as listed being 46,500.
¹² And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon, the chief of the people of Simeon being Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai,
¹³ his company as listed being 59,300.
¹⁴ Then the tribe of Gad, the chief of the people of Gad being Eliasaph the son of Reuel,
¹⁵ his company as listed being 45,650.
¹⁶ All those listed of the camp of Reuben, by their companies, were 151,450. They shall set out second.
¹⁷ “Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.
¹⁸ “On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their companies, the chief of the people of Ephraim being Elishama the son of Ammihud,
¹⁹ his company as listed being 40,500.
²⁰ And next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh, the chief of the people of Manasseh being Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur,
²¹ his company as listed being 32,200.
²² Then the tribe of Benjamin, the chief of the people of Benjamin being Abidan the son of Gideoni,
²³ his company as listed being 35,400.
²⁴ All those listed of the camp of Ephraim, by their companies, were 108,100. They shall set out third on the march.
²⁵ “On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their companies, the chief of the people of Dan being Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai,
²⁶ his company as listed being 62,700.
²⁷ And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, the chief of the people of Asher being Pagiel the son of Ochran,
²⁸ his company as listed being 41,500.
²⁹ Then the tribe of Naphtali, the chief of the people of Naphtali being Ahira the son of Enan,
³⁰ his company as listed being 53,400.
³¹ All those listed of the camp of Dan were 157,600. They shall set out last, standard by standard.”
³² These are the people of Israel as listed by their fathers’ houses. All those listed in the camps by their companies were 603,550.
³³ But the Levites were not listed among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses.
³⁴ Thus did the people of Israel. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each one in his clan, according to his fathers’ house.

¹ These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
² These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
³ These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests.
⁴ But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.
⁵ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
⁶ “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
⁷ They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle.
⁸ They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle.
⁹ And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel.
¹⁰ And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”
¹¹ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
¹² “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine,
¹³ for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the LORD.”
¹⁴ And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
¹⁵ “List the sons of Levi, by fathers’ houses and by clans; every male from a month old and upward you shall list.”
¹⁶ So Moses listed them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.
¹⁷ And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.
¹⁸ And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.
¹⁹ And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
²⁰ And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses.
²¹ To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites.
²² Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 7,500.
²³ The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west,
²⁴ with Eliasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites.
²⁵ And the guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting,
²⁶ the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords—all the service connected with these.
²⁷ To Kohath belonged the clan of the Amramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites; these are the clans of the Kohathites.
²⁸ According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, keeping guard over the sanctuary.
²⁹ The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,
³⁰ with Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers’ house of the clans of the Kohathites.
³¹ And their guard duty involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen; all the service connected with these.
³² And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the chiefs of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who kept guard over the sanctuary.
³³ To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari.
³⁴ Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200.
³⁵ And the chief of the fathers’ house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.
³⁶ And the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service connected with these;
³⁷ also the pillars around the court, with their bases and pegs and cords.
³⁸ Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death.
³⁹ All those listed among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the LORD, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were 22,000.
⁴⁰ And the LORD said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names.
⁴¹ And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.”
⁴² So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded him.
⁴³ And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.
⁴⁴ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
⁴⁵ “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.
⁴⁶ And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites,
⁴⁷ you shall take five shekels per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs),
⁴⁸ and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.”
⁴⁹ So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites.
⁵⁰ From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary.
⁵¹ And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses. (ESV)

³⁹ In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,
⁴⁰ and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
⁴¹ And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
⁴² and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
⁴³ And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
⁴⁴ For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
⁴⁶ And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
⁴⁹ for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
⁵⁰ And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
⁵² he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵ as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
⁵⁶ And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. (ESV)

Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
¹ I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
² My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.
³ Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!
⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
⁶ This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
⁸ Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
⁹ Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
¹⁰ The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. (ESV)

¹ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—
⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
⁷ But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
⁸ Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”
⁹ (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?
¹⁰ He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
¹⁷ Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
¹⁹ They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
²⁰ But that is not the way you learned Christ!—
²¹ assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
²² to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
²⁵ Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
²⁶ Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
²⁷ and give no opportunity to the devil.
²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
²⁹ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
³¹ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
³² Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
³ But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
⁷ Therefore do not become partners with them;
⁸ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
⁹ (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
¹⁰ and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
¹² For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.
¹³ But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,
¹⁴ for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
²⁰ giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
²¹ submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
²³ For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
²⁷ so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
²⁸ In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
³⁰ because we are members of his body.
³¹ “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
³² This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
³³ However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

¹ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
² “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),
³ “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
⁵ Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,
⁶ not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
⁷ rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,
⁸ knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.
⁹ Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,
²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
²¹ So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything.
²² I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.
²³ Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
²⁴ Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
² To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
³ As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine,
⁴ nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.
⁵ The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
⁶ Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion,
⁷ desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
⁸ Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
⁹ understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,
¹⁰ the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
¹¹ in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
¹² I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,
¹³ though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
¹⁵ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
¹⁶ But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
¹⁷ To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
¹⁸ This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
¹⁹ holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,
²⁰ among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. (ESV)