Night Watch Devotion

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
¹ Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
² O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
³ But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
⁴ Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
⁵ Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
⁶ There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”
⁷ You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
⁸ In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (ESV)

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. (ESV)

¹ “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
⁷ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
¹¹ Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
¹² But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
¹³ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (ESV)

¹ The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.
² And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.
³ Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.
⁴ And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
⁵ Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
⁶ And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”
⁷ And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
⁸ And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
⁹ But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.
¹⁰ So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”
¹¹ And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son.
¹² But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.
¹³ And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.”
¹⁴ So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
¹⁵ When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes.
¹⁶ Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.
¹⁷ And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
¹⁸ Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
²⁰ And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow.
²¹ He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. (ESV)

³⁵ And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late.
³⁶ Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
³⁷ But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”
³⁸ And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”
³⁹ Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.
⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.
⁴¹ And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all.
⁴² And they all ate and were satisfied.
⁴³ And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.
⁴⁴ And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
⁴⁵ Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
⁴⁶ And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
⁴⁷ And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.
⁴⁸ And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them,
⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out,
⁵⁰ for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
⁵¹ And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded,
⁵² for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
⁵³ When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore.
⁵⁴ And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him
⁵⁵ and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was.
⁵⁶ And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. (ESV)

¹ On the day when Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle and had anointed and consecrated it with all its furnishings and had anointed and consecrated the altar with all its utensils,
² the chiefs of Israel, heads of their fathers’ houses, who were the chiefs of the tribes, who were over those who were listed, approached
³ and brought their offerings before the LORD, six wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two of the chiefs, and for each one an ox. They brought them before the tabernacle.
⁴ Then the LORD said to Moses,
⁵ “Accept these from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting, and give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.”
⁶ So Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites.
⁷ Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service.
⁸ And four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
⁹ But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because they were charged with the service of the holy things that had to be carried on the shoulder.
¹⁰ And the chiefs offered offerings for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed; and the chiefs offered their offering before the altar.
¹¹ And the LORD said to Moses, “They shall offer their offerings, one chief each day, for the dedication of the altar.”
¹² He who offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah.
¹³ And his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
¹⁴ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
¹⁵ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
¹⁶ one male goat for a sin offering;
¹⁷ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
¹⁸ On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, the chief of Issachar, made an offering.
¹⁹ He offered for his offering one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
²⁰ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
²¹ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
²² one male goat for a sin offering;
²³ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.
²⁴ On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, the chief of the people of Zebulun:
²⁵ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
²⁶ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
²⁷ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
²⁸ one male goat for a sin offering;
²⁹ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.
³⁰ On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, the chief of the people of Reuben:
³¹ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
³² one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
³³ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
³⁴ one male goat for a sin offering;
³⁵ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.
³⁶ On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, the chief of the people of Simeon:
³⁷ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
³⁸ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
³⁹ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
⁴⁰ one male goat for a sin offering;
⁴¹ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
⁴² On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, the chief of the people of Gad:
⁴³ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
⁴⁴ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
⁴⁵ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
⁴⁶ one male goat for a sin offering;
⁴⁷ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
⁴⁸ On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, the chief of the people of Ephraim:
⁴⁹ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
⁵⁰ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
⁵¹ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
⁵² one male goat for a sin offering;
⁵³ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.
⁵⁴ On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, the chief of the people of Manasseh:
⁵⁵ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
⁵⁶ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
⁵⁷ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
⁵⁸ one male goat for a sin offering;
⁵⁹ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
⁶⁰ On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, the chief of the people of Benjamin:
⁶¹ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
⁶² one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
⁶³ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
⁶⁴ one male goat for a sin offering;
⁶⁵ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni. (ESV)

²¹ And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
²² And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)
²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
²⁷ And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,
²⁸ he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
²⁹ “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation
³¹ that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
³³ And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.
³⁴ And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed
³⁵ (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
³⁶ And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,
³⁷ and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
³⁸ And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
³⁹ And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. (ESV)

Of David.
¹ Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
² Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help!
³ Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!”
⁴ Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me!
⁵ Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away!
⁶ Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them!
⁷ For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
⁸ Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction!
⁹ Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his salvation.
¹⁰ All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?” (ESV)