Night Watch Devotion

A Song of Ascents.
¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
² O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
³ If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
⁵ I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
⁷ O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
⁸ And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (ESV)

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
¹ O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
² lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.
³ O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands,
⁴ if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause,
⁵ let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah
⁶ Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
⁷ Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high.
⁸ The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
⁹ Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous— you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!
¹⁰ My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.
¹¹ God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.
¹² If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow;
¹³ he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.
¹⁴ Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies.
¹⁵ He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.
¹⁶ His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.
¹⁷ I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. (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 And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.
² Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
³ And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD!
⁴ Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle?
⁵ And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”
⁶ Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them,
⁷ and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
⁸ “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.”
⁹ And Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
¹⁰ Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?”
¹¹ And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
¹² And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
¹³ These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them he showed himself holy.
¹⁴ Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: “Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met:
¹⁵ how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time. And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers.
¹⁶ And when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory.
¹⁷ Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, or drink water from a well. We will go along the King’s Highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”
¹⁸ But Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through, lest I come out with the sword against you.”
¹⁹ And the people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.”
²⁰ But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force.
²¹ Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him. (ESV)

¹⁹ The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.
²⁰ So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.
²¹ So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.
²² Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”
²³ But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them,
²⁴ “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.”
²⁵ He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
²⁶ And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.
²⁷ There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
²⁸ and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children.
³⁰ And the second
³¹ and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.
³² Afterward the woman also died.
³³ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”
³⁴ And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,
³⁵ but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,
³⁶ for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
³⁷ But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
³⁸ Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.”
³⁹ Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.”
⁴⁰ For they no longer dared to ask him any question.
⁴¹ But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son?
⁴² For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
⁴³ until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
⁴⁴ David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?” (ESV)

¹ And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
² Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.”
³ And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”
⁴ The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”
⁵ Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.
⁶ And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”
⁷ And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”
⁸ And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”
⁹ Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson.
¹⁰ And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons.
¹² And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants.
¹³ So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

¹ After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.
² And David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites.
³ But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?”
⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away.
⁵ When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”
⁶ When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob, 12,000 men.
⁷ And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men.
⁸ And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.
⁹ When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians.
¹⁰ The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites.
¹¹ And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.
¹² Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him.”
¹³ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.
¹⁴ And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
¹⁵ But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together.
¹⁶ And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates. They came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head.
¹⁷ And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him.
¹⁸ And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there.
¹⁹ And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore. (ESV)

¹ Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
² And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.
³ Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
⁴ And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”
⁵ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
⁶ But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
⁷ And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
⁸ And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
⁹ And all the people saw him walking and praising God,
¹⁰ and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
¹¹ While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s.
¹² And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
¹³ The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
¹⁴ But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
¹⁵ and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
¹⁶ And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
¹⁷ “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
¹⁸ But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.
¹⁹ Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
²⁰ that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
²¹ whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
²² Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.
²³ And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’
²⁴ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.
²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’
²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” (ESV)

To the choirmaster. Of David, for the memorial offering.
¹ Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me!
² Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt!
³ Let them turn back because of their shame who say, “Aha, Aha!”
⁴ May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
⁵ But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay! (ESV)